Samsara Festival
by Yellow Yondaime
Summary: Naruto awakens the Rinnegan during his battle with Haku, leading to many ripples in the Nations. One of these happens to be how the Tailed Beast inside of him reacts to him. Another happens to be everything his past lives have culminated up to. Something is moving in the shadows, and Naruto wants to stop it before it's too late. Naruto x Samui AU and New, Coherent Summary!
1. Ashura Festival

**A/N: Yeah, I rewrote it. Not much to say, other than it'll be better. I promise.**

 **I: Ashura Festival**

 _No…_ He thought in despair as he stared at the lifeless body of his teammate. Sasuke was the person he'd envied and despised. Sasuke was the embodiment of everything he had to work for. _If that's true, then why do I feel this pain in my eyes?_

"Sasuke…" Naruto choked out, blood leaking from his eyes. "You were the one with power. You were the one with a chance… and you still saved me? Why?" Naruto gripped Sasuke's hand as memories and emotions flooded his mind.

" _This headband symbolizes a_ _ **matured shinobi**_ _, Naruto. It isn't just a_ _ **cool accessory**_ _."_

" _Those who break the rules are trash; all the same, those who abandon their comrades are_ _ **worse**_ _than trash."_

" _Don't be so reckless, baka. You'll hit your head and die."_

" _He isn't the fox anymore… he's Uzumaki Naruto, a loyal shinobi of the Hidden Leaf!"_

" _I… I hated you… just like my brother said I needed to. He said it was enough to keep me alive until I was stronger. I was wrong."_ Naruto's eye burned more than any other pain he'd ever felt before, but he could do nothing except stare at the peaceful expression on Sasuke's face. He felt as if there was something whispering in the back of his head, attempting to tell him something _vital_. But all he could hear were the things said to him that truly mattered. The words from the people who'd believed in him, even if they didn't always show it. " _ **Don't you dare die before you become Hokage."**_

Naruto looked up at the Hunter-nin that had trapped him in the dome of ice. "You… bastard…" he groaned, half in anger and half from the pain pulsing in his temples. He laid Sasuke down gently and stood to his full height. "You'd kill him, and Tazuna-oji, and anyone else… you'd doom an entire nation to poverty… all just for a paycheck…?"

He couldn't tell, but Naruto thought he'd seen a hint of a flinch from his opponent, who chose then to answer him. "Just as you all fight for your own prosperity? He, who was stronger than you, who held higher convictions, and who was talented enough to forcefully awaken an eye technique… He sacrificed himself for someone like _you_. That was his choice, just as I choose to sacrifice my own morals to serve my own goals. It is the life of a shinobi, to be used as tools… He fought bravely, but it was his time. Just as it is yours."

The pain in Naruto's head stopped. The voice in the back of his mind became louder and louder, but still remained jumbled and distorted. He stepped forward. The cuts on his body began healing, and the needles fell out of the wounds. He stared forward, a fierce scowl on his face. He held out his hand through some sick compulsion he couldn't fend off. "I'm weak, I'm pathetic, and I'm low. But the lowest you can get… is when you choose **order** over **kindness**." The voice was suddenly clear to him.

" _ **Universal…"**_

" **Pull."** Naruto's voice boomed, and the Hunter-nin came flying at him at amazing speeds. It was nothing he couldn't handle, because everything had become some _clear_. The world had seemed so damn _bland_ before, but now it looked as brilliant as a precious jewel. Even the blood on the ground had a macabre sort of style to it. Naruto's fist clenched powerfully, his blood pumping hot in his veins. It swung forward and collided with the Hunter-nin's stomach, making said masked ninja retch and drop to the ground. Naruto backhanded the mask off of the man's face, and instantly froze. "Haku…" he whispered in disbelief.

Haku stared at him blankly. "Your eyes… I thought that Sasuke was from a higher pedigree than mine, but you… you're above even him, aren't you? Is that why he saved you? Did he see his anguish would awaken something that beautiful?" Naruto looked into a puddle on the ground. His eyes were the same blue he was used to, but instead of having proper sclera, the prior color of his irides had replaced it totally. His pupils had decreased to tiny points surrounded by thin rings. As he looked at himself in disbelief, the rings expanded to reflect his shock.

" _ **The Sage lives on…"**_ came the same voice from before. Naruto looked at Haku once again.

"So was your questioning just a psychological tactic? Do you even believe that protecting what you care about is the right thing to do? — No, of course you do…" Naruto muttered at the end, looking at the fight with Zabuza and Kakashi coming to a close. "It's that man that you want to protect. That **monster** that you hold so highly. If he is the extent of what you hold precious, then you're better off dead, because you aren't even **human** to something like that. You're a **parasite** that wouldn't even be on the walls of an **insect museum**."

Haku laughed a little. "There's a story behind that, if you care to hear it, Naruto-san."

Naruto turned back to Haku. "If it could explain how you became this pathetic, maybe I can learn from it."

"In the Hidden Mist, Zabuza wasn't alone in being a demon. There were many, many others; some lesser, and some greater. My father was among the lesser, who ridiculed anyone who held bloodline traits. The blood of the purest pedigree lies within some ninja, which allows them to call upon powers passed down from higher generations. These powers are restricted to DNA. In that village, we are abominations— instruments of war and suffering. My mother passed her gift onto me, and my father did not appreciate it. I was forced to kill him simply to survive, and that **broke** me. Zabuza-sama was the one to pick up the pieces. He is the oe I'd go so far to protect… but you were right. Now that I've been broken, he'll see no use in me. You've taken away my reason to live."

Naruto growled. "I'm not going to kill you just because you failed to serve a murderous **freak** like that eyebrowless hooligan! Why would I impart suffering on someone else, after all I've been through!? That isn't the way to help people!"

Haku smiled slightly once more. "I can see it in your eyes— they're beautiful, but far from flawless. Their original form hides what you really feel, but these show the truth of what you went through. I acknowledge you've suffered… but playing the hero? Preaching about saving lives? It isn't the **truth** of this world. Sparing your enemies after you've stripped them of their purposes is a fate **even crueler than death**. And you know it **better than anyone**."

Naruto let out a smile. It wasn't one he usually used. It was truer to himself— cynical in nature, desperate for camaraderie, and spoke of years of isolation. "You're right, Haku. I don't want to be the one to cause you to suffer." He pulled out a kunai. Haku looked at his master once more, to see Kakashi was charging up an incredibly powerful technique. Naruto noticed the look. "... If that's how you want to die, then go. It's the most I can offer you at this point."

Haku gave a small nod in thanks and rushed away. Kakashi shouted, "Lightning Cutter!" as his hand pierced Haku's heart in place of Zabuza's. Kakashi pulled his hand free and stared at the young man. Then he looked back at Zabuza. "Is this how it should've ended…?"

Zabuza slumped slightly. "He wasn't weak. He wasn't useless, and he didn't have to prove himself so much. It started out as that, yeah. But I **raised** that boy. And seeing him like that…"

Gatou chose this moment to bring his forces to the bridge. Naruto narrowed his eyes. It was here that everything would be decided. "Good job, Konoha ninja. Momochi was getting too expensive. Now we'll just kill the lot of you ninja and the bridge builder. Two birds with one stone, as they say." He started laughing. "And Zabuza… how pitiful can you get, 'Demon of the Mist-sama?' — A more appropriate title is kitten. Meow, motherfucker! — Get them!"

Naruto rushed forward immediately, pulling out a kunai. Perhaps if it were shinobi, he'd have felt a need to use his Shadow Clones. But against failed samurai? With the new clarity in his vision, it would be simple to just…

"Guah~?! What the Hell is this kid?! He's a **monster!** "

… Break them…? Naruto stood in the middle of a corpse pile, blood dripping from his hands and clothing. The ichor of humans was everywhere around him. Kakashi, Sakura, and Tazuna stared at him as if he wasn't the same person as he was ten minutes ago. Kakashi released his dogs' holds on Zabuza and said, "It's fine if you get the finishing blow. You have a bigger bone with him than us."

Zabuza smirked a kicked a knife into the air, clenching the handle with his teeth. He rushed forward, killing even more rogue samurai than Naruto had, before finally impaling his blade into Gatou's neckline. Blood sprayed from the headless corpse like rain. Then Zabuza knelt to the ground. "Hey, Copy Ninja… that brat of yours? The blonde with the freaky eyes? I want him to have my Executioner's Blade. His eyes are the same… as mine… and as Haku's. The one who should make heads roll… is the one who has seen his own separated from his shoulders… in his dreams." Zabuza collapsed completely. Naruto grabbed the weapon without a word, grunting as he heaved it with both arms.

"Naruto… where's Sasuke?" Kakashi asked lightly, covering his overused eye. Naruto looked at his Sensei, his bright, ringed, dead eyes making Kakashi's heart falter slightly. _Just by looking into his eyes… the ki he releases is unreal! What_ _ **are**_ _those?!_

"Sasuke died."

Sakura fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "No… no, that isn't true…!" she wailed. Naruto wouldn't meet her eyes. "You're **lying** , Naruto!" Naruto looked at his hands. They were clenched his fists, and a few tears rolled down his cheeks. "Naruto… tell me you're **lying** …"

Naruto looked at her, and she froze. "Look me in the eye and tell me I'm lying, Sakura-chan!" He looked at the crumbled ice and blood on one end, and the corpses and weapons littering the other. He turned to his sensei. "I'm done playing the fool. I'm done making excuses. I'm going to become Hokage, because that's what my dream is. Sasuke **died** for my dream… and he couldn't complete his own! I'll make up for it. I swear it on the blood that's pooling from my eyes…"

Kakashi clasped his shoulder. "Let's get his body."

* * *

Naruto looked down at Sasuke in disbelief as the previously dead boy opened his eyes. "Sasu..ke…" he muttered as Sasuke sat up. Sasuke looked at Naruto, and his eyes widened.

"Your eyes… Naruto, did I mean that much to you?" Sasuke whispered, smiling lightly. "You idiot… as if I'd died from some half-cocked missing-nin."

Sakura whimpered and launched herself at her crush. "I'm so glad you're safe, Sasuke-kun…" Naruto stared at the interaction, before looking at the gigantic sword in his hand.

 _I got off easy this time, but I doubt it'll be so simple from now on. I'll be a real shinobi. I'll stand up against a world that could let people like Haku wish for death. I won't fail in it, either, no matter what anyone else says._

" _ **Hmph. Good luck with that, human. As noble as your kind can preach, you always fail to see what matters most in the end."**_ — It was the voice who'd helped him realize his power. Naruto stopped channeling chakra to his eyes, and he saw that they returned to normal. " _ **I've never seen a human wield those eyes before, but just like that cursed Sharingan, the Rinnegan is certainly no blessing. If you ask me, you'll be no different than that hypocritical father of yours— the one who holds my ire more than most."**_

Naruto looked at the sky. _So you know my dad, huh…? You must be the fox, then, since my parents died the day you were sealed inside of me. You probably_ _ **killed**_ _him, too. But you know what? I don't have time to deal with that. I just want to be something besides a nine-tailed fox demon. I don't know how I can hear you all of a sudden… but you aren't going to change me._

Naruto looked out at the crashing waves. He smiled. "Thank you… Haku."

* * *

Two weeks passed. The team dynamic returned to normal, but there was an odd, new cohesion to them all. That experience changed Sakura, Kakashi, and Sasuke. But Naruto felt a bigger difference than ever before in his life. And then he threw himself into his training— of course, so did Sasuke.

* * *

" _Okay, you two. Tell me everything. How did Naruto awaken such a powerful tool?" Kakashi asked._

" _I was nearly dead, Kakashi. How could I have seen it?" Sasuke countered._

 _Kakashi turned his attention to Naruto, who was picking his ear. "Naruto? What happened?"_

 _Naruto looked at Kakashi. "After Haku fake-killed Sasuke, I lost it. My dojutsu activated, and I used a doujutsu called_ _ **Universal Pull**_ _."_

" _How does it work, exactly?" Kakashi said._

 _Naruto smirked and held out his right palm._ " _ **Universal Pull!"**_ _Kakashi was immediately pulled towards Naruto, all the while screaming in terror._

" _STOP IT!" Naruto snickered and cancelled the jutsu, causing Kakashi to fall on his face._

 _When Kakashi stood up, he glared at Naruto. "Never do that again. Anything else?"_

" _I haven't tried anything else out… but I'm certain that there's more to it."_

 _Sasuke smirked. "A dojutsu like that still doesn't compare to my Sharingan, dobe." Naruto scowled._

" _Well, that was the only thing I could do technique-wise, but there are still some passive buffs! I can see chakra, the world seems slower, and my body seems even more in-sync than ever before. Oh, and my control seems a lot better— Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Without the aid of hand seals, and without the cover of smoke, a Naruto clone shimmered into existence. "I don't think your lingering pink eye can say that you're better than me anymore, bastard."_

 _The duo galred at each other._ It's nice to be back to how things used to…

* * *

Kakashi wanted to wait until they were back in the Hidden Leaf before fooling around with Naruto's doujutsu, but there were still other things that could be taught while the bridge was being completed. "What the Hell are we supposed to do with these?" Sasuke deadpanned, holding up a small piece of paper. Sakura wracked her brain for an answer.

"I know what these are!" she said, "These are chakra-conductive papers. If you channel your chakra into them, it shows you what your elemental affinity is."

Naruto was completely lost, as evidenced by the look on his face. "Ele-what now?" was his intelligent response. Everyone else face-palmed.

"Naruto, your elemental affinity shows what chakra nature you can work with best." Naruto's face held onto it's blank look. Kakashi sighed. "Okay, you do know what nature transformation is, right?"

"Umm… yes?" Naruto said, is a vain attempt to save face.

"You have no clue, do you, Naruto?" Sakura asked. Naruto chuckled sheepishly.

"You got me…"

Kakashi rubbed his temples. "Okay, Naruto, listen for Kami's sake. Nature transformation is the changing of chakra into an element. The five basic elements, one of which you have an affinity to, are water, fire, wind, lightning, and earth. Each element has another element that it is strong against and susceptible to. If you channel your chakra into the paper, you'll know your affinity. If it gets wet, it's water; if it ignites, fire; if it splits in half, wind; if it crumples into a ball, lightning; and if it dissolves into dust, earth. Go ahead, give it a try."

Naruto looked as if he understood at least part of what Kakashi said. He nodded and channeled chakra. Amazingly, the paper split into 4 parts. Then, each part did it's own thing: one ignited, one soaked, one crumpled, and the final piece turned to dust.

Each member of the team stared at the paper in silence. "Nani…? NANI?!" Naruto yelled.

"Th-this is unheard of…" Kakashi stuttered in shock. "

SEE! SEE! I TOLD YOU I'M A SUPER NINJA, DATTEBAYO! I TOLD YOU!" Naruto yelled.

Sakura smacked him over the head. "Quiet, baka! My turn…" Sakura's paper burned up.

"Fire. That's common in Hi no Kuni," Kakashi commented. "Sasuke, if you would…" Kakashi prompted.

Sasuke's paper crumpled into a ball. "What the…? Lightning?" he said, confused.

"Weird; I was expecting it to be fire, you being an Uchiha and all…." Kakashi said. "Oh well. I have an arsenal of very powerful raiton ninjutsu. It's a good thing you have the Sharingan, because my most powerful raiton jutsu requires it." Sasuke smirked at the thought of learning an elite Jounin's most powerful jutsu.

"Ano… since I have the Rinnegan, do you think I'll be able to learn that raiton jutsu? Since I have an affinity for all the elements, and all of this chakra, I can be a jutsu powerhouse, right?!" Naruto asked.

Kakashi chuckled. "Naruto, with eyes like those, anything is possible."

The Kyuubi chuckled at his sensei's words. " _ **The foolish begets the foolish begets the foolish… your father said the same words under different context, and he himself is dead. This one will lead you down the same path, human."**_

Naruto pointedly ignored the fox's words. _I'm better than that. I'll become even better soon enough._ He smirked at his team. Things were changing. But the Kyuubi left a lingering doubt. Were his eyes worth whatever price there was to pay for them?


	2. Training Festival

**A/N: I'm just gonna leave this right here...**

 **II: Training Festival**

"...And that about wraps up what happened, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said, looking his leader in the eye. _Even if it's the Hokage, Naruto's eyes are far more piercing…_ Perhaps it was due to the obvious stupefaction present on Hiruzen's face, which in and of itself may have been an understatement…

"Naruto-kun, may I see your eyes for a moment? I'm curious," Hiruzen said kindly. Naruto nodded, and his pupil contracted. His irides spread over his sclerae, and rings spiraled out from the tiny dot of a pupil. "It's… different from the drawings, but still… such an intense aura…" Hiruzen muttered. _It's like the effect of ki, but different… no, this isn't just ki. It's not a physical pressure. It's more… primal. Like I'm not even locking eyes with a human. Looking at his Rinnegan is like… looking into the mouth of the Shinigami._

Hiruzen steeled himself. "Those eyes are valuable. You shouldn't see them as just tools, as much as I hate to admit it. You shouldn't even see them as _eyes_. They're more like a unique resource that any other superpower would go to Hell and back to possess. Unlocking their secrets is more than just defending yourself. You'd be unlocking the secrets to the world and beyond. Even Sasuke-kun's Sharingan pales when compared to your eyes, Naruto-kun. Do you understand?"

Surprisingly, Naruto nodded humbly, his eyes widening as he looked at the floor. "I understand, Hokage-sama. I don't know why I have such a scary power… but I do know what I'm going to do with it. I'm going to serve our village as best as I can, and as best as I know how. I'm going to show the world that we don't need to fight each other in order to survive. That's what I hope to accomplish— making a better world for the innocent and guilty alike. That's my wish, and my duty. And I never go back on my word." The others were shocked at him, but he wasn't shocked at himself. Hearing his grandfather figure speak in such a way about his potential was terrifying. He didn't want the power to see into what a human shouldn't. But if he had it, he'd do his best to use it responsibly.

" _ **Even the most noble humans will succumb to the toxins of power. Not even Ashura was free from this guilt, and certainly no one after him. It's only a matter of how long you can last, and what will push you over the edge."**_ He again ignored his tenant. It would do no good to listen to the ramblings of a mad old fox demon.

Hiruzen smiled at him. "You'll make a fine shinobi, Naruto. Dismissed, except Kakashi-kun."

"Remember, we have a team meeting tomorrow," Kakashi noted to his Genin. They all gave their affirmatives and departed.

"Kakashi, you understand what this means, don't you?" Hiruzen asked. Kakashi nodded gravely. He looked out the office window.

"I have to make sure those kids are strong. They've improved greatly since I first got them, but that isn't enough. I'll have to push them— Naruto especially— to even greater heights. I'll do to them what Minato-sensei did to me."

"That's the response I wanted. Jiraiya is coming back to the village in time for our Chuunin Exams, and I believe that he will take on Naruto as his ward from then on. He did, after all, encounter the Rinnegan once before, in Ame no Kuni during the last war. It apparently looked different, but it was similar enough for me to recognize it. And if Naruto makes it to the finals of the exams, I'll give him his inheritance." Hiruzen took a hit from his pipe.

Kakashi turned to his leader. "So, Jiraiya-sama will be able to teach him some things about it, then… I'll have to plan for the things that Jiraiya-sama would be inclined to pass on. — What did you mean by 'inheritance'?"

"I'm sure you've seen the resemblance between my successor and your student, Kakashi-kun. He even has Kushina-san's surname."

Kakashi sighed lightly. "Like father, like son, I suppose… but why wouldn't Sensei show me that he had such a power?"

Hiruzen shook his head. "It's more likely that Kushina had it, or at least the potential for it. Jiraiya's previous student in Amegakure had _red hair_ , after all."

Kakashi gave a nod. "Another Uzumaki, then. Anything else?"

"No. You're dismissed." Kakashi gave a bow before exiting the room, leaving nothing but a pile of leaves in the wind.

* * *

Naruto sat at the counter of his favorite restaurant, his Executioner's Blade leaning against the wall next to him. He was slurping into a large bowl of noodles, chatting away with his longtime friends Teuchi and Ayame. "So, did anything interesting happen on your mission, Naruto-kun?" Ayame asked, face resting in her palms. Naruto gave her a great grin.

"Actually, yeah! It was supposed to be a C-Ranked escort mission, but we encountered two B-Ranked missing-nin, one A-Ranked, and another with a rare bloodline!"

The ramen chefs both gasped. "And you fought them? Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" Ayame asked.

Naruto nodded. "Don't worry about me so much. No one can take down the future Hokage!"

"Well, did anything else happen?" Teuchi asked. Naruto took another slurp before responding.

"Yeah. The fight let me get my _own_ bloodline. He switched on his eyes, and Ayama and Teuchi gasped, as they saw it. Both of them didn't feel the same ki as everyone else who'd seen it did, however.

"Who'd've thought you'd get something like that?" Teuchi asked with a grin. "I told you, you're special, Naruto. What does it do?"

"Hmm… it lets me see chakra, slows down my perception, makes things look clearer, adds more detail and color, and gives me a technique that lets me attract things to myself. There's more it can do, but I haven't figured it out yet."

Ayame beamed at him. "My little Naruto-kun is growing up! There's no way you won't be Hokage now!" she encouraged.

Naruto looked at her and her father lovingly. "Amen to that."

* * *

The next day, Team Seven was assembled at their training ground. "Okay, guys; it's time to really begin training. You're not a normal Genin team, so I'm not going to train you like Genin," Kakashi explained. Naruto looked excited, while Sasuke seemed anxious to begin, and Sakura looked worried. "Saa… alright, then; since Sakura looks the most perturbed, I guess I'll begin by picking on her.

"What I said before about Sakura being closest to Hokage and above the Uchiha was wrong. Her chakra control comes from having reserves almost identical to a civilian's. Sasuke's is high for even a Chuunin, and Naruto… I'd put your chakra at around four times higher than myself, even without any **extra aid**. That control of Sakura's, in any case, puts her on a static path. She can either be a genjutsu specialist, or a medic. It's really up to you." While Sakura thought over her options, Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, copy this jutsu." Sasuke's Sharingan flashed on, and Kakashi went through three hand seals. "Lightning Release: Lightning Cutter." His signature jutsu lit his hand.

Sasuke grinned and performed the technique himself, but it sounded different. _I see…_ Kakashi thought. _His Yin-natured chakra warps the technique slightly, making it less powerful but more malleable._

"I may have to rename your jutsu, Kakashi. How about… A Thousand Birds?" Sasuke released it and deactivated his Sharingan.

"Fitting," Kakashi eye-smiled. "Practice molding the chakra until it becomes second nature, and you can move on. Naruto…" Naruto looked at his sensei eagerly. "You're going to be studying a lot."

"Eh…?" Naruto said lamely.

"There's a reason for that," Kakashi said. "Your chakra control has improved immensely since you activated your Rinnegan, so there's no need to train that. Instead I want you to learn the things you've missed out on since your days of not paying attention in class. I'll start your ninjutsu training a bit later than theirs considering you've got the edge there." Kakashi unsealed a few books and put them on the ground.

"'Beginner Sealing Arts'? 'Longevity Techniques'? 'Tactics and Quantitative Reasoning'? Are you trying to kill me, Sensei?" Naruto asked incredulously. Kakashi just smiled and turned to Sakura.

"Have you decided yet?"

Sakura hummed in thought. "I'd like to go the medic route. Someone will need to take care of these two…"

Kakashi gave a thumbs up before flipping a page in his book. "I suppose I could start with a simple technique from the medical ninjutsu branch… it's called the Mystical Healing Palm."

* * *

It had been around two months since Team Seven began training in earnest. Sasuke could now perform the Thousand Birds three times, and knew two lightning ninjutsu outside of that : False Darkness and Electromagnetic Murder. He was working on his fire release a bit more.

Sakura had begun learning the Mystical Healing Palm and basic anatomy— where she excelled— as well as her taijutsu. Kakashi wanted to surprise her opponents who saw her hang back and heal with a deadly-up-close kunoichi. With the insane conditioning Kakashi put her under, she quickly became high-Genin level with that alone.

Naruto evolved the most, showing off an amazing talent with trap=making and out-maneuvering his opponent with Shadow Clones. He'd also had a bit of a chat with his tenant.

* * *

" _Naruto, take a break for once. You'll kill yourself at this rate like last time," Kakashi warned him as Naruto struck at a log with his fists and palms._ His stance is intense, but relaxed… It only took him two days to pick up the basics of the Strong Fist. But even with that, he's pushing himself harder than even Rock Lee does.

 _Naruto ignored his teacher in favor of moving faster. He needed to be able to swing the Executioner's Blade as fluidly as Zabuza did. One overexerting punch snapped his forearm. Naruto grunted and fell to his knees, before passing out._

 _He stood in some sort of industrial plant then. In front of him was the cage of the annoying voice in his head. He stared up at the Kyuubi in wonder. "No wonder you were so feared… but why does your chakra look so…_ empty _? Like it's missing something?"_

" **Hmph. Questions, demands, entitlements, judgements. That's all your species is full of. Do any of you do things besides simply seeking answers to that which you'd be better off not knowing?"** _Naruto rolled his eyes at the fox._

" _Just as well, are you capable of anything other than condescension towards an entire group of conceptually unique beings? I don't judge you because you're a demon; I judge you because I've met you, and I talk to you, and I deal with your inane rambling everyday, and I've come to dislike you for it. Beyond that, you're far too intelligent to simply be a mindless beast. There's some history between you a humans, and I'm inclined to believe that humans started it."_

 _Kyuubi cocked an eyebrow at him._ " **What do you want, human? My power? My knowledge? I know humans better than you think; they all have a subconscious urge to move things to their beat. Your compassions and empathies? All designed to make things better for yourselves. Your proclamations of purity, innocence, and teamwork? Nothing but lies to make yourselves out to be higher on the social cue. You aren't in here for any reason other than to gain something, so spit it out."**

" _Who is my father?" Naruto growled. "How is he connected to you?"_

 _The Kyuubi guffawed at him._ " **If you want to know something like that, you won't get it from me. Not until you earn a certain amount of my respect, and you certainly aren't getting it by running around, shouting about how humans should come together. No, I'm not so sentimental. — I'll say this much, though. Our goals will end up aligned at some point, before moving apart again. By that point, everything I've said, and everything you're convicted about will come to pass, and one of us will be right. Will I see a corpse on the ground, despaired after tearing apart the forces of his rivals? Or will you prove me wrong?"  
**

 _Naruto looked him in the eye. "Then let's make a deal. You show me how to use my eyes, and I'll take your view into account before proceeding. I'll make you change your mind about just how immovable my morals are. I'll show you the good side of the humans. I'll-"_

" **Shut up, Naruto** _," the Kyuubi growled._ " **Ashura said the same thing. The Old Man said it before him. And do you know what I got after that? I got Indra. I got Madara. The ancestors of that accursed Uchiha you're so attached to are the reasons I'm inside of you right now. They are why your parents are dead. Once you see that, you'll be no different from Ashura** _ **or**_ **Hashirama. You'll be worse, considering Indra's essence has infected you as well. Your words mean nothing, and your actions at this point are less than nothing. For now, I'll give you a gift. Every Rinnegan has a special ability. Yours is called Amaterasu. Get out of my sight."**

 _Naruto stared up at the Kyuubi for a moment longer. "The least you could do is give me a chance to prove that I'm serious."_

" **You don't know how many times you and your incarnations have told me that over the centuries, Naruto. You. Aren't. Special. The only difference between you and the ones before you is that instead of just having the Sage's Body, you have his Eyes. But Madara managed that as well, and he is the reason why we both suffer. When you realize the truth, you'll die, and this entire thing will start over once again."**

 _Naruto gave the Kyuubi a smirk. "I guess that just means I'm the one you've been waiting for…_ _ **Kurama**_ _." the Kyuubi's eyes widened. "I'm more connected to the transmigrations than either of us could have guessed… but all I can pull is three names. Kurama. Ashura. Kaguya. That's more than what the others could do." He faded away. Kurama gave a small grin._

" **When was the last time a human called me that name…?"**

* * *

Something else the team did collectively was physically train. Everyone was set at their own pace, but it quickly became a contest to Naruto and Sasuke. Thus the duo began to rapidly improve upon their technique. Their weights increased, their laps lengthened, and their workouts intensified. One day the team met up and Kakashi handed them each slips of paper. "Congratulations, you three. I hereby nominate you for the Chuunin Exams."


	3. Culling Festival

**III: Culling Festival**

Naruto already knew what his decision would be. He'd make Chuunin on his first try, no question. No doubt Sasuke's goal was the same. He was by no means a Genin-level ninja; no, he was a Genin in title only. Even Sakura was among the strongest of his graduating class. Naruto knew that even with his Rinnegan, Sasuke was a difficult opponent. It was like there was some sort of outside force constantly keeping the two at a similar state of power. Anytime Naruto contemplated that, Kurama would let out a loud scoff but refused to elaborate other than a single sentence: " _ **Everything happens in twos"**_. That was fine. He'd survived this long without listening to the cryptic fox.

As Naruto contemplated his team's effectiveness, he bumped into someone with an 'Oof!' Before he could stand again and apologize, a rough hand grabbed his collar and yanked him off the ground. "O-oi!" Naruto shouted in surprise, not expecting something so aggressive. He looked at the people in front of him. There was a short kid wearing a gourd sporting red hair, looking as if he'd never slept a wink in his life. Then there was the cute blonde girl, taller than the three around her, sporting a war fan on her back. Finally was the one manhandling him; he had a bundle on his back, a black hooded one-piece, and unnecessary war paint. "Let me go, _now_ ," Naruto commanded icily. This was eerily similar to how he'd been treated by his peers growing up— tossed around for no reason other than because it was possible.

" _ **And you say you're different from the others before you, Naruto? You're just the same, forgetting what you spit once your mouth becomes dry."**_

The other kid scowled. "No friggin' way! How do you just bump into someone and expect to get away with it? I guess it's up to me to teach the younger generation some manners."

"C'mon, Kankuro," the girl sighed. "You're gonna get us in trouble. We don't have time for this!"

Kankuro shook his head. "I don't think so, Temari. This brat needs to respect his elders."

Temari scowled. "You're probably the same damn age!"

Naruto had heard enough. He kneed the taller boy in the face and kicked off of his chest, sending Kankuro to the dirt while landing on his feet. Then he slipped into a loose Strong Fist stance. "Are you two going to start anything?"

Temari quickly shook her head. The red-haired kid grinned slightly. "What is your name?"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow and released his stance. "Uzumaki Naruto. And you?"

"Sabaku no Gaara. Mother will enjoy me spilling your blood. I hope you are in the exams, Uzumaki." Gaara turned to Kankuro. "Stand up, you fool, before I bury you in a desert Hell." His two teammates stiffened and fell in line. As the group walked away, Naruto kept on his path.

" _ **Your first real test is upon you, Naruto. Make a difference here, and I will acknowledge your conviction. But it is only your intent that I will believe in. Your ability, your resources, your methods… they will all be judged at a later date. Complete this objective, and I will share with you another secret."**_

 _If you would actually tell me what the objective is…_

" _ **This is a judge of character. You'll need to do it without my interference."**_

Naruto sighed and kept moving.

* * *

Naruto was on his way to the Academy grounds for the Exams. He had everything he could possibly need; kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, ration bars, the works. He had it all in a pack over his shoulders, as well as his Executioner's Blade, which was now incredibly easy to handle, sealed into his right palm. As he continued, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned to see a group of Cloud Genin. There were two with dark skin and one nearer to his complexion. The darker ones were equipped with swords. "Umm, can I help you?" Naruto asked. The blonde, whom Naruto took as the leader, answered.

"Yes, if you're willing. My name is Samui, and these two are Karui and Omoi. Could you please point us towards the Ninja Academy? We're here for the Chuunin Examinations. It'd be really cool of you."

Naruto grinned. "Oh, I'm headed there myself. Come on; I'll show you the way." He noticed the skeptical look Karui gave him, but Omoi was just downright weird with what he said.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to follow him, Samui? He might lead us to an ambush set by Konoha ninja and hold us ransom as revenge for the death of the Hyuuga Clan member years ago."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "What?" he asked, drawing a blank. Kakashi had noted that there was bad blood between Konoha and Kumo, but his lectures were more focused on tactical advantages in general against the other villages more than personal vendettas. Of course, the grudge that Iwa had on the Yondaime Hokage was something that had to be noted.

Karui growled and smack Omoi over the back of his head. "Quiet, you moron! You can't just go off saying anything you like!" Omoi rubbed his head, muttering apologies.

Samui sighed. "So uncool, Omoi. Ready when you are, Konoha-san."

"Just call me Naruto, Samui-chan," Naruto said with a grin. He then hopped onto a nearby rooftop and began to run, followed by Team Samui.

Samui kept pace with Naruto while her teammates hung back a few steps. "You seem like you could handle yourself in a fight. How long have you been a Genin?" she asked.

Naruto smirked. "Three months and I'm already ready for a promotion. Impressive, huh?"

Samui looked surprised. "I've been a Genin for about a 1 ½ years. You must be powerful to be taking the exams at such an age."

Naruto's smirk never left his face; if anything it got wider. "At least someone acknowledges my expertise. I _am_ the future Hokage."

"I'd pay to see that."

"Aww, you don't believe I could do it? You wound me, Samui-chan."

"We'll see what you're made of in the exams, Naruto-san."

Karui was behind them, scowling slightly. She turned and whispered to Omoi, "Can you believe that she's actually conversing with a Konoha ninja? It's disgraceful."

Omoi shivered, eyes wide. "What if she becomes romantically attached to him and defects to Konoha? That could cause the Fourth Shinobi World War, and _that_ could cause the collapse of Rai no Kuni! It might be the end of the shinobi system!"

Karui rolled her eyes. " _Obviously_ , that won't happen. But even so… a Kumo kunoichi and a Konoha shinobi getting along? That doesn't even feel _right_ aesthetically…"

Maybe you're just jealous of the male attention that Samui is getting?" Omoi suggested. Karui rounded on him with a savage glint in her eyes.

"Are you implying that I'm unattractive?" she asked. Omoi looked away.

"Not at all, Karui. You must've misheard me." Karui huffed and turned around.

"Good." Pretty soon they were at the Academy gates, where Sakura and Sasuke stood. Sakura's eyes widened.

"Naruto, why are you with Kumo ninja?"

Naruto puffed out his chest. "I was just being my usual, gentlemanly self, and escorting them here as a favor." Sakura rolled her eyes.

Sasuke began walking inside. "It doesn't matter; let's go." Sakura quickly followed, waving Naruto along. Naruto turned back to the Cloud ninja.

"Well, I guess when we meet again, we'll be opponents," Naruto noted.

Samui hummed. "It seems that way. Thank you for leading us here, Naruto-san." She then elbowed her teammates, who mumbled their thanks as well. Naruto waved them off.

"It's no problem. See you on the proving grounds, then." Naruto faded away.

"Oh? He wasn't kidding about his abilities; I never even noticed him create and substitute with a clone," Samui pointed out. "That's rather cool."

"Are you interested in him?" Omoi asked.

Samui looked at her teammates. "Let's watch out for that team. Someone like him, as well as the Uchiha… that's a problem. That problem is uncool."

They walked into the building.

* * *

Team Seven walked through the halls of the academy. "Kakashi said that the exams take place on the third floor, so that's where we're headed," Sasuke commanded. Naruto made a sour face. "...What the Hell's the matter with you, Naruto?"

"Who made you the leader, asshole?" Naruto challenged. Sasuke looked at him drily.

"Do _you_ want to be the leader, then?"

Naruto smiled stupidly. "Nope! I just wanted to question you!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I didn't think so. Now follow me." They climbed up to the next floor and went in front of a room that everyone seemed to crowd around. Two older Genin were blocking the way inside. A bowl-haired Genin in a green spandex suit yelled, "Please let us through!"

He was shoved back by one the Genin. "No way! You're not ready for this kind of test. Just come back next year!"

Sakura whispered to her teammates, "Genjutsu. We're still on the second floor." Sasuke and Naruto switched on their doujutsu.

"Huh. Great work, Sakura. Let's keep going." Sasuke turned towards the next flight of stairs.

"Hold up!" a voice called out to the trio. It was the bowl-haired boy.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked impatiently. The boy was immediately in front of them, displaying shocking speed. He was so fast that Naruto reacted on instinct.

"Almighty Push!" The boy flew into a nearby wall. Sakura bonked Naruto on the head.

"You idiot; you could've hurt him! And he's a Konoha ninja!"

Naruto immediately deactivated his eyes and started walking. "We didn't see anything, okay?" Sakura sweatdropped and followed, as did Sasuke.

Outside of the real classroom, Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke. "Well, it's a good idea you all decided to come. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to participate."

Naruto scowled. "Why the Hell didn't you tell us that before?" Kakashi gave Sasuke a knowing smile.

"I didn't want peer pressure to make a decision for you. Anyway, after you go through that door, it's all you three. I can't help you. You'll have to rely on a three-man cell. But if it's you three, who took down Zabuza and Haku, I think you'll be fine. Ja ne~!" He left the same way he arrived.

Team Seven entered the classroom, immediately being bombarded by different kis. The only one who even gave a slight sweat was Sakura. Sasuke simply scoffed, while Naruto glared right back, his piercing ringed eyes making even the toughest Genin falter.

"Sasuke-kun, you made it!" Yamanaka Ino shouted, clinging to his back. Sasuke gained a tic mark on his head.

"Get off me."

Sakura scowled as well. "Release him, you pig!" she wailed. They then slipped into the trope of their petty arguing.

"I'm thinking about a restraining order," Sasuke said honestly. Naruto deadpanned.

"What would that solve? You know it won't stop them." Sasuke blew air, knowing it was true.

"Hey, it looks like we're all here!" Inuzuka Kiba yelled rather loudly, as Team Eight walked up to join the others. Shikamaru rubbed his head with a groan.

"Aww, man; you guys are here, too? Troublesome…" Choji kept munching on his chips without a care.

Shino greeted his fellow rookies. "It's nice to see you guys again."

"Same here, Shino!" Naruto said with a grin. "And Kiba— you look stronger. Not enough to pose a challenge, but as more of a warm-up," Naruto said with faux arrogance.

Kiba met the smirk with his own. "Watch your mouth dead-last. You've never beaten me in a fight, and you never will."

Hinata approached Naruto then and said," A-ano… Hello, Naruto-kun…"

"Huh? Oh, hey Hinata! It's good to see that you're here. I bet you've done some super-cool missions and defeated all types of bad guys, huh?" Naruto said. Hinata blushed with a smile.

"R-right…" she said.

Before anyone could speak again, a new voice piped up: "Keep it down!"

The rookies turned to see a grey-haired, bespectacled young man. "You're the rookies, right? I'm Kabuto. You're not making a very good impression." It was true; looking around, the group could see that the other villages and teams were glaring at them in loathing, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. "Let me give you a heads up: these exams are the opposite of a joke or game. I've taken them four years straight and still haven't passed."

Naruto grinned cockily. "That says more about you than the exams. No self-respecting ninja would fail a test with the same basic principles so many times in a row without the blame coming back on them instead of the difficulty of the test. Unlike me; I'm gonna pass on my first try!"

The guy smiled. "You won't say that once the real tests begin. Anyway, since you're new here, allow me to offer a show of good faith. I've gathered data on every contestant here, different amounts on different participants. Anyone you want to scope out?"

Naruto turned serious. _Gaara… there's something off about him._ "Sabaku no Gaara and Kumo no Samui." The other rookies were surprised to see Naruto actually gathering information. Kabuto looked at the cards.

"Hmm… you know their names; that makes it simple. Sabaku no Gaara: completed thirty-seven C-Ranks and… two A-Ranks? Above all that, he's never even been scratched on a mission." Kabuto let that sink in. Many Genin were regretting their choice of exams to participate in.

"Man, that guy sounds troublesome. And you've met him, Naruto?" Shikamaru said. Naruto scoffed.

"I can take him."

"Next up: Kumo no Samui. She seems to favor kenjutsu and raiton ninjutsu. She's completed twenty-two C-Ranks and seven B-Ranks. Rookie of the Year in her graduating class," Kabuto said.

"You know, if you wanted information on me, you should've just asked, Naruto-san," came a female voice. Everyone turned to see the Kumo Genin from earlier.

"Oh, hey, Samui-chan! You know how it is… just scoping out the competition, is all…" Naruto said. Samui rolled her eyes.

"That's cool, but don't think that that's all it takes to defeat me. I _am_ from the Cloud." Naruto nodded and turned back to Kabuto.

"Any parting words of loser wisdom?"

"Well, that's pretty much all the heavy hitters you may encounter. Iwa obviously isn't here; Ame may be a threat; but I wouldn't worry about Oto. They're greener than the Hidden Grass." Just as he said that, an Oto Genin that looked much like a mummy appeared in front of Kabuto. Before anything could happen, Naruto and Sasuke were in front of him, kunai poised at his throat and heart.

Before another word was spoken, a puff of smoke entered the class at the front desk. "Put the weapons down, brats! No one kills anyone unless I say so!" Naruto and Sasuke reluctantly obeyed. The Sound nin gulped and moved back to his team. "Okay, you miserable excuses for soldiers— it's time for the first test. My name is Morino Ibiki, proctor of the first exam. Come here, single file, and grab your quizlets, pencils, and seat issues."

Naruto groaned. "Not a written test, damn it…" Sakura and Sasuke glared at him.

"If you fail, you'll regret it…" Sakura growled at him. Naruto gave her a nod and did as instructed. He ended up next to Hinata, whom he gave a smile.

"Rule time, peons! Every Chuunin-candidate starts out with ten points. Every incorrect answer leads to minus one point. Every instance of cheating will count as a deduction by _two_. Cheating will not be tolerated and and a failure of one participant means the entire squad loses as well. You'll have forty minutes to get through the first nine questions on the paper— I'll give the tenth orally. Questions, no? Begin!"

Naruto looked at his paper. _Impossible. I don't care if someone were to call me stupid. This isn't meant to be passed by a shinobi._ As if any ninja calculated exact geometry when attempting to knock enemy projectiles out of the air… That shit was all instinct.

Naruto activated his Rinnegan and looked at Sasuke, who was scribbling down answers left and right, Sharingan active. Sakura was doing the same thing as if she just knew the answers. Naruto looked at Hinata, who had her Byakugan active and as writing down answers while still looking at her paper. _That's an interesting doujutsu…_

" _ **It's the only one that didn't come from the Old Man. It came from his brother."**_ Kurama said listlessly. " _ **I suppose you need some sort of assistance with this, Naruto?"**_

Naruto nearly snorted, but instead made the noise mentally. _I don't need you solving all my problems for me. I'll take care of it myself._ Naruto went over his options. There was Hinata right next to him, but that was far too obvious. He needed to cheat from far away, and given his arsenal, that would be difficult. _...Wait. I have five chances._ Naruto focused his Rinnegan on Hinata's page and inhaled all of the information on it right as he noted a Chuunin marking him down. He then quickly wrote it all down onto his paper and deactivated his eyes.

"Times up! Now, for a bit of added flair, there's a special condition for the last question. You choose if you want to take it… but if you choose not to, you and your team automatically fail." Ibiki spoke menacingly.

"Then of course we'll take it!" one Genin spoke. Ibiki smirked.

"That's fine. But if you fail the question, then you'll be perpetually a low-ranked ninja. Always stagnant, never advancing. It's up to you to take that risk."

"You can't do that! What right do you have?!" Another Genin yelled, starting a ruckus among the others.

"QUIET!" Ibiki yelled. "Your villages all knew about this condition and signed on it, so if you want to complain, yell at your Kage! Anymore unruly behavior is grounds for automatic disqualification as well as the penalty enforced for missing the question!"

That silenced the room. "Choose now if you want to take the question; I don't have all day."

One by one, teams began to expire. "I'm sorry, but I can't risk it. There's too much on the line here!"

"This is crazy! We aren't ready for this kind of ultimatum! I'm out!"

"Reiji, you shithead! It wasn't your call to make!"

"I'm bowing out, Karasuji!"

Naruto stood up among the chaos. "Is this what the other nations are full of? Cowards!?" He shouted. "A man who stands by protocol and order is a coward! A man who pushes past norms in a quest to better himself knows what being a shinobi is all about! And you can't call yourself a shinobi if you pull out just because something is scary! If you even _thought_ about pulling out, then you're lucky you've survived this far at all!" He sat down in a huff, and the other teams all hardened their resolves.

No one else dropped out.

Ibiki smirked at Naruto. "To those of you who stayed… you pass."

Naruto blinked. "Eh?"

Ibiki then went on to explain. "As I'm certain you know if you're still here, the goal of the questions was to test your information gathering abilities. The last question was to test your resolve… and I see that Uzumaki Naruto has that in spades. Just as he said, if you don't accept a mission because it's too dangerous… you aren't loyal to your village and shouldn't claim to be. The life of a ninja is perilous and not a game. You _will_ die in service, at most about fifteen years from now, but more like much sooner. The day that comes to pass is when you see if it was all worth it."

A banner slammed through the window, opening itself to read 'The Sexy and Single Mitarashi Anko, Proctor of the Second Exam'. Above it stood a woman dressed rather loosely. Naruto could tell that things would get weird from then on.


	4. Curse Festival

**A/N: for those wondering, yes, the pairing is still Naruto / Samui. The reason she isn't in the bio is because while they are going to end up together, it's taking a bit of a back seat. If you're only here for the NaruSamu then you won't be disappointed because it'll tie into plenty of plot points, all of which will be hinted at as subtly as I can manage. Thanks for bothering to read my story! :]**

 **IV: Curse Festival**

"Sugoku~, Ibiki! You actually let 46 teams pass? Are you getting soft on me~?" Anko teased Ibiki, who rolled his eyes.

"You know damn well I don't 'get soft', Anko. There's just a strogner crop this year… some stronger than others," Ibiki said, looking right at Naruto near the end, as did everyone else. He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, looking at the ground.

 _Am I… am I actually being acknowledged?_ Naruto thought. _Maybe not as a person quite yet… but they see some sort of power within me… that I can't see in myself?_

Kurama groaned. " _ **Not**_ **this** _**Ashura again…**_ **Please** _**not this one…"**_

Naruto cocked an imaginary eyebrow. _What do you mean by that?_

Kurama huffed. " _ **There are six different Ashura archetypes. Going by the path you unlocked first, which foretells these, I suppose it was something I should've predicted… The Deva Path is the most powerful path, though, so I by turns you'll end up as the most powerful type of Ashura…"**_

Naruto rolled his eyes; Kurama was more mumbling to himself than anything. _You can't just start dropping names that I don't understand. Who is Ashura, anyways? Was he one of my past lives, or something?_

" _ **He's more than your past life. He's all you've ever**_ **been** _ **,"**_ Kurama snorted, before shutting up completely. Naruto sighed and turned his attention back to the proctors.

"Anyways, brats, you'll be meeting me up with me at Training Ground 44! You've got a half hour to show up at the gates or you're automatically disqualified! Ganbaru~!" Anko launched herself out the window. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura quickly met up near the window while all the other Genin filed out the door.

"Sasuke, can you track her?" Naruto asked, activating his Rinnegan and looking out into the distance. He could certainly see farther than before, but he didn't have any kind of zoom. He certainly couldn't just ignore the triply-prevalent sun glare that smacked him in the face.

Sasuke gave a nod. "She's certainly got some Jounin-level skills; her stealth is similar in style to Kakashi's." Sasuke didn't track Anko through the use of his doujutsu— if he did then so could Naruto. He was being trained on using his other senses in case he was deprived of his sight, which people were likely to attempt once they caught sight of the war fan plastered to his back. Kakashi had suggested he removed the obvious target, but an Uchiha will always be an Uchiha. "I'll take point, then…" Sasuke jumped out of the window, followed by his teammates.

Meanwhile, Team Samui hung back after watch Team 7 depart. "So it seems that the entire team is a threat…" Samui muttered. "That's not very cool, is it?"

Omoi stood from his leaning position and popped a lollipop into his mouth. "It had almost seemed that Naruto was more bluster than anything else at first… he must be dangerous, to lower our guards like that."

"The Uchiha seems to be the leader, the Uzumaki the heavy hitter… and perhaps the girl is the glue or some sort of support?" Karui noted. "I'd also watch out for their fellow 'Rookies'... There were quite a few clans among them I noted off the bat. Nara, Inuzuka, Hyuuga, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Aburame. Some of the most dangerous in Fire Country."

Samui stood and walked towards the door. "Just keep your guard up. We have the edge over them, regardless."

* * *

"This is a special slice of Heaven called the Forest of Death!" Anko chortled, releasing her ki on the unsuspecting Genin. "In here, my rules are the law… and the purpose of that law is _not_ to give you liberty, but to give you _death_!"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow and activated his eyes. _I wondered why her ki seemed so intense… that mark on her neck is full of a twisted chakra. — It's like yours, missing something… but this one is much,_ much _darker._

" _ **That is pure Yin chakra, Naruto; and the one who gave her that mark is master of fuuinjutsu. Remember the signature in case you come across it again. It's likely a by-product of one of your many, many screw-ups."**_

Naruto stopped paying attention to Anko speak in order to question Kurama. _It's infected her entire network, Kurama. I can pretty much recognize different purposes of seals by this point, and it seems that this one works like a drug. Was she some sort of human trafficking victim at some point? Or a sleeper agent, maybe…?_

" _ **Nothing like that. But at the same time, the truth likely isn't much better, if I recall anything about the origins of those sealing arts. My youngest brother Shukaku was the first to create a cursed seal, once again because of**_ **your** _**meddling. In any case, it should be a while before you run into the one who gave her the mark, if they're even still alive."**_

Naruto blinked as a knife split his cheek open. Standing behind him was Anko herself. "What's the matter, brat? Am I not mesmerizing enough for you~?" she asked, licking the blood from his damaged cheek.

 _By the Sage her breasts are huge oh man this is just oh shoot ahhh_ —

" _ **Naruto. Calm down. Geez, your human hormones are affecting even**_ **me** _ **, and I'm not even**_ **human** _ **,"**_ Kurama complained. Naruto steeled himself at that.

"It isn't anything personal, Proctor-san… it's just that the whole 'promiscuous sadist' shtick is oversaturated in kunoichi," Naruto explained, thinking back to one of Kakashi's many, many rants on _intimidation tropes_ , of all things. "The more you deal with them, there are two outcomes in a male shinobi. Either you come to enjoy your encounters with them and even let them get a few shots in to get them _really_ riled up, or you just develop a sort of PTSD and start cutting them down on sight. I ask you, Proctor-san, as someone who recognizes both their zealousness and transparency…" His Rinnegan locked with Anko's pupilless orbs, "Which category do you imagine _I_ fall under…?"

Anko froze after staring into Naruto's patterned orbs. She shook lightly. _Orochimaru… is nothing compared to this kid… He isn't_ _ **human**_ … Naruto deactivated his eyes and faced forward once more, releasing his mental grip on Anko. She composed herself and ignored the disbelief on the faces of the surrounding Genin. "This will be a no-holds-barred deathmatch. Your objective is to obtain both a Heaven scroll and an Earth scroll and bring them to the center tower within the constraint of five days. Do **not** open the scrolls, do not lose a teammate, and do not stay in there longer than five days… Or you'll fail. You'll also need to sign consent forms in order for you to participate, because I don't want your Kages pissed if you die in there. Let's get this started! Ganbaru~!"

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke sped through the forest at a high speed, both doujutsu wielders of the team constantly searching. Naruto also had clones scattered and hidden nearby as both extra eyes and ears and extra manpower. With this going on, Naruto decided to take a break from reality and question his jailer again. _What are the Ashura archetypes?_

" _ **Naruto, I already told you that you needed to complete the objective I set for you before I reveal anything else. And even then, the next thing I wanted to tell you was about your eye; the nature of the different Ashuras is not useful to you at the moment."**_

Naruto scowled. _I want to know what I was like in the past, and I want to know who I am now. I can almost feel a connection forming the longer I have my Rinnegan activated… but when I turn it off, I lose that connection and have to start again. There has to be_ something _that you see here worth mentioning!_

Kurama groaned. " _ **Fine, you stupid human. I'll tell you one that I'm fairly certain doesn't apply to you; no sense in giving you a rundown of your character just so you can attempt to defy it for my sake. That**_ **always** _**ends badly, by the way. The Human Ashura was always emotionally intelligent. I usually spot one as a Sage. That Ashura always lives to a ripe old age and uses Sage Arts from the farthest reaches of your Eastern maps. I believe all Human Ashuras also practice ninshu instead of ninjutsu, but that's revealing more information than necessary."**_

 _And you say that I'm not that Ashura? Makes sense— I've never seen myself as some kind of charm-peddling hermit._

Kurama laughed. " _ **Senjutsu is one of the most powerful arts known to you humans, derived from your ancestors. But their versions are for superior to what humans are capable of these days. Even so, your father's use of Sage Mode would be enough to pulverize you even if you had full mastery of those eyes of yours."**_

 _My father was an Ashura, then?_ Naruto asked. He could feel the mental equivalent of Kurama shaking his head before going to sleep.

"We've got a team," Sasuke whispered. The trio dropped to the ground in formation. "Come out! We know you're there!"

Three Kirigakure Genin made themselves known, making Naruto grin as he unsealed his Executioner's Blade. The cockiness on their faces faded, and it was replaced with a pale fear. "No… no way… _you_ were the one who killed Momochi?!" one of them shouted in terror. " _You_ killed the demon of the mist?!"

"He was more like a kitten," Naruto snarled, his eyes rippling. He charged forward and swung his sword with a mighty heave. The closest Genin could not hope to escape the path of the weapon and was slashed lightly by the girthy blade. One had attempted to flank Naruto, thinking it would be difficult for him to counter with such a large weapon. He was wrong, but Sasuke beat Naruto to the punch.

"One Thousand Birds!" Sasuke called out, striking his lightning-coated arm through the Kiri Genin's chest. Sakura quickly defeated her opponent as well with well-placed punches, kicks, and a single kunai. Naruto sealed his sword and went to work searching for the scroll they needed.

"Damn, they had the same scroll as us," Naruto said, pocketing the Heaven scroll. "At least we'll stop another team from passing…" Naruto would've said more, but he was caught in an intense blast of wind. "...Eeeeeeeeeh~?!" he called as he was thrown through the foliage and away from his team.

"Shit!" Sasuke shouted. "We just lost our heavy hitter, and I feel a really ominous chakra…" He activated his Sharingan and palmed a kunai. Sakura quivered in fear. Standing on a nearby branch was a Kusa Kunoichi with an unnaturally long tongue.

"Kukuku Kukuku… What do we have here?"

* * *

In mid-air, Naruto was swallowed by a humongous snake. As he slid down the snake's interior, he began struggling."Let me go! Let me go, damn it! My team needs me!" His body began glowing with a horrible red chakra. _Thanks, Kurama!_ "I said… l **et me go** , you **son of a bi** tch!" The red chakra exploded outwards, showering the nearby forest with snake gore. The chakra receded. "I've gotta get back to Sasuke and Sakura-chan…" Naruto muttered, taking off towards their last location.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura had begun trading blows with the slippery kunoichi to no avail. Sakura came in high with a heel drop while Sasuke went low with a leg sweep, but the kunoichi hopped slightly and blocked Sakura's leg, grabbing her and tossing into the treeline. She then kicked Sasuke in the ribs. Sasuke spat blood and charged again. He put every ounce of himself into his blows, forgetting the Uchiha fighting style, and went into brawling mode. Sakura secretly cast a Genjutsu on the Kusa kunoichi, making her movements lock up just in time for Sasuke to shove a Thousand Birds into her heart, feeling it rupture inside her body. He removed his blood-coated hand as Sakura joined him. "She made Zabuza look like a joke," he wheezed.

Sakura sighed. "Maybe she has the scroll we nee…" she trailed off as a horribly grotesque thing began occurring. A second body began _crawling out_ of the Kusa nin's ravaged one. It stood up, looking no worse for wear.

"How… how is that possible… I _killed_ you!" Sasuke shook with terror, knowing he stood no chance of beating the invigorated enemy.

Sweat lined Sakura's brow. "We're finished… not even with Naruto could we even hope to defeat her!" she said. "It's hopeless!"

"Kukuku… I was hoping for a better show, Sasuke-kun. Well, when you receive my gift, I'll get what I'm looking for…" Suddenly, the grass ninja's neck extended past it's normal limits, straight towards Sasuke. Pain of unreal levels flooded his system as the grass kunoichi gave his neck a harsh bite, a seal appearing over the flesh. Suddenly, she was knocked away from him…

"Dynamic Entry!" Naruto shouted, kicking the Kusa ninja away from his friends. He turned to the enemy, his eyes glaring a wicked glow from his Rinnegan. He slipped into the Strong Fist stance. "Sasuke… Sakura… are either of you hurt?"

Sasuke recovered first. "We— we're shaken up more than anything… Can you do it, Naruto? Can you beat her?"

Naruto clicked his tongue. "Since when did you turn into a crybaby, Sasuke…? Your brother… do you think you'll be able to kill him while lying on the ground?" Sasuke's eyes became as wide as saucers while Naruto held his hand out towards the Kusa Kunoichi. "Universal Pull."

The Kusa ninja was pulled towards the jinchurikki, Naruto rushing forward to meet her with a strong punch. At the last second, the kunoichi pulled herself out of the orbit and launched a kick at Naruto's head. Naruto ducked and threw his fist forward, but the woman kicked off of it and pressed her heel into the back of his head.

She flipped through a few hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu…" after the smoke cleared, she stood atop a large snake. Naruto groaned.

"Not another one…!" Then Naruto's eyes widened. _This chakra coming from Sasuke… it's the same as what I saw on Anko…_ Naruto glared at Orochimaru. "What the Hell did you do to him?"

Kurama spoke. " _ **Naruto… his name is Orochimaru. And he is one of the many mistakes you've made over the years. Even though I told you the name of one of your powers, you never unlocked it… against him I'd gladly give you a boost."**_ Naruto mentally gave the fox his thanks.

Orochimaru chuckled. "I simply gave him the means to an end. But with eyes like yours, Naruto-kun… maybe you should receive it as well?" Orochimaru charged at Naruto in an attempt to end the fight. Naruto instantly summoned two clones to meet the disguised man while he focused his eyesight. There was a strain over his left eye.

"Amaterasu…" Naruto muttered, and suddenly, a black flame lit Orochimaru's back. The man shrieked in pain while Naruto grabbed Sasuke and tossed him over his back. "Sakura, we need to _run_!" And so the team began moving at their top speed. "What the Hell were we supposed to do against him? — That was Orochimaru, Sakura-chan!"

"We get stronger," Sakura sighed. "We become Chuunin and train harder than ever. Orochimaru wanted Sasuke for some reason, and I'm willing to bet that it's bad news. I say we get out of the forest as fast as possible and tell Sensei. Even still… you protected us, Naruto-kun…"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "Did… you just call me… 'Naruto-kun…'?"

Sakura blushed. "We— Well… I mean…"

Sasuke weakly smirked. "So you've got a crush on the blonde idiot, now? Surprising, considering how revolted you were by him during our Academy days."

"It's not like that!" Sakura protested in vain. Naruto and Sasuke began laughing, and soon enough, so did Sakura.

Naruto stopped laughing. "Did you hear that?" He turned towards the woods. There were clearly chakra signatures hidden there. "Hostiles, nine o'clock. Sasuke, if you can fight, go ahead; but don't use any chakra. We'll need to have that seal looked at."

" _ **Frankly, I'm surprised that he's still standing at the rate that seal is corrupting his chakra. No Uchiha can defend against that sort of thing; their chakra is naturally tailored to accept it. There must be some other secret to his body that we don't know about… and given exactly what's in**_ **your** _**blood, I wouldn't be surprised if it were something big."**_

"I can fight, Naruto. But… maybe I shouldn't just yet." Sasuke kneeled on the ground, huffing. "Sakura, I may need you as a guard."

"Alright. Naruto-kun, you'll have to handle them!"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto called, forming a diamond around his team with his doppelgangers. _A humble Sasuke? That's new._

" _ **Indeed. I hardly expected that of all things out of Indra. While you foolish Ashuras flip-flop in your methods and ideologies, Indra always stood the same in his goals— perfecting his father's goals through twisted means. I should warn you, though, that with Sasuke's father… you may end up having to strike down your own friend one day. For now, he seems salvageable, provided that mark doesn't eat away the meagre light left inside of him."**_

Clones materialized on all sides, but Naruto instantly dispelled them all. _A chakra-sensitive doujutsu coupled with extreme chakra control equals an immunity to Genjutsu. There they are…_ "Universal Pull!" Naruto called out, yanking all three of his opponents forth at once. _I wonder if it's possible to fly with this Path?_

" _ **It is. Don't worry about it now, though. That's still a while off."**_

Naruto cocked an eyebrow as he laid the three Genin out in record time. _Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but you've been awfully helpful today, Kurama. Thank you for that._ "If you three idiots don't want to die then pass up your scroll. No funny business, now. You'll get hurt otherwise."

"Sure… just don't hurt us, alright?" one of them muttered fearfully, handing over the scroll. Naruto grinned— they had an Earth scroll.

They made it to the tower within an hour. Inside the tower, there were words written on the wall. Sakura was quick to decipher the meaning, "Open the scrolls. That's the only way that we're advancing."

Kurama let out an amused snort. " _ **I don't think that any of your past selves had a female companion quite like this one, Naruto. You Ashuras were never known for your intelligence, so consider yourself lucky."**_

Naruto hummed as Sakura prepared the scrolls. _I don't know about that now, Kurama. Samui-chan is pretty damn beautiful, and Sakura was kind of mean for most of my life. But, hey; options are open._

In a puff of smoke, Iruka stood in front of Team Seven. He smiled as he looked over his former students, but when his eyes rested on Naruto, he gasped. "Naruto? You look so… so…"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "So _what_?"

"So kakkoii~!" Iruka exclaimed, causing the young Chuunin-hopefuls to sweatdrop.

"Okay… Iruka-sensei, why are you here?" Naruto asked, more than a little perturbed. Iruka cleared his throat.

"Well, since you've passed the second test, go on up and find a room to recuperate. Your team is is second place, so you've got down time until the next exam starts. There's a mess hall and everything. — I have to say, though, that I'm proud of what all three of you have become. You're my prized and most successful students. Continue doing well, and I'm sure you'll all realize your dreams." He gave them a smile before disappearing in a similar to fashion to his entrance.

Naruto and co. limped their way through the tower, Naruto frowning to himself. _Somehow, I feel this is the easiest it's ever going to be, Kurama._

Kurama yawned lightly. " _ **That's the case for any Ashura, not just you. And while you're kind of weird and hard to pin to single archetype, that doesn't mean much in the end. Every Ashura before you said the exact same things— 'I'll fix my mistakes.' 'I didn't mean for all of this to happen, but this time it's different.' 'Kurama, just give me a chance.' At this point, I don't even care. Just hurry up and die so I can be free again."**_

Naruto didn't respond to that. How could he?


	5. Elimination Festival

After a few more days of rest, in which Sasuke refuted any reason to access his chakra, every passing Genin assembled in the main room of the tower. _So, all of the rookies made it… and Samui-chan did, as well_ , Naruto thought to himself. _Damn, I was hoping Gaara's team would somehow get defeated while in the forest, but at least we didn't run into them after coming into contact with Orochimaru._

"Sasuke. Sakura-chan," Naruto called to get his teammates' attention. "No one here is a pushover. Some people, like Samui-chan and Gaara, are incredibly dangerous. I'd just prefer to avoid fighting them at all, honestly."

Kiba gave Naruto a wary look. "What do you know about the Suna ninja?"

Naruto took a peek at them. "The people I mentioned didn't get injured in the forest. Even Sasuke was wounded; the so-called Rookie of the Year and prodigy of the Uchiha clan and Itachi's second coming. I don't know if you care about being promoted— or even surviving, Kiba— but I do."

Sasuke, to his credit, barely twitched as Naruto mentioned his brother. While he didn't want to be compared to that murderer, he knew it was necessary. Keeping his cool in the field was something Kakashi had physically and mentally beaten into his core. Even so, to hear the way Naruto spoke was unnerving; it seemed to convey… **fear**.

Sasuke shook his head— _There's no way someone as stupid as him would be scared of anything. Wave Country and the forest proved that much already._ He was more angry than anything. He was angry because… Sasuke nearly choked on the dismay, it felt so tangible. _He thinks that Sakura and I might die_.

Involuntarily, the curse mark on his neck began to glow as the reality seeped in. _This whole time I thought I was protecting him. It's been the other way around, and he knows it. He's so much farther ahead than I am already… Naruto, just what the Hell_ are _you?_

"Congratulations to everyone who has made it this far," Hiruzen spoke from the front of the room. "These exams have served the purpose of allowing powerful Genin to advance their careers, but it also stands to show the talent of our newer generations, promoting peace and unity between the nations."

 _What a bunch of horseshit_ , Naruto thought with a snort. _You can read right through that reasoning; it's full coddlings and appeasements, not true acceptance. When I'm Hokage, I'll have to make sure I don't come off like that._

Inside of Naruto's seal, Kurama laughed to himself, not allowing Naruto to hear it or his words. " _ **You'll see the truth of what you've sown soon enough. As long as there are Indras and Ashuras, there will never be a true peace."**_

A Jounin coughed and stepped forward. "If you don't mind, I can take it from here, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen nodded at him, and he spoke. "My name is Gekkou Hayate. I'll be the proctor for the third section. Before that can begin, however, it should be noted that there are simply too many contestants still qualifying. Therefore a preliminary round is in order, and the winners of these one-on-one bouts will move onto the final stage. If anyone doesn't feel up to it, then just say so now."

Kabuto raised an arm. "Yeah, I don't think that I can make it through. Sorry guys, but my chakra just isn't strong enough at this point." He gave his team an apologetic smile and stood off to the side. Naruto cocked an eyebrow.

Hayate gave him a nod. "This board will now call out the first set of fighters." The board flashed through names before settling on two.

 **Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akadou Yoroi**

Yoroi smirked. "I get the Uchiha? Fantastic."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I suppose it isn't possible to get a stronger opponent…" In his mind, however, Sasuke was slightly worried. _No chakra means no Sharingan, no Fireball, no Chidori… I suppose that working on my taijutsu was worth it, then._

Hayate called the match, and Sasuke was instantly put onto the defensive due to his weakened state; Yoroi began swinging wildly at the Uchiha with no pretense of actual skill. Sasuke's foot came up and into Yoroi's chin. Yoroi grasped the foot even as his head was tilted back at an awkward angle. Sasuke's skin paled as he felt his chakra forcibly being extracted. _Wha-What is he…?!_ Sasuke broke free and launched a few shuriken in order to create some space. He glared at Yoroi. _A chakra leech, is it? Kind of redundant against me at the moment… Wait, can I force him to absorb the Seal?_ Sasuke rushed forward, intentionally leaving his marred neck as the only exposed area of his body. Yoroi latched onto it as soon as he was able and began sucking the chakra out through his hand.

Sasuke grit his teeth in pain, but noticed that only the chakra in the seal was being emptied. Yoroi also screamed as his hand and forearm began to darken in color. _There! I can mould my chakra again!_ Sasuke held up a half Ram sign. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" The fireball hit Yoroi in the face, melting through him slightly and making him curl up on the ground. Sasuke huffed. "Call the match, Proctor."

"Winner: Sasuke! Medics!"

Sasuke joined his team. "Sasuke, I thought we agreed that you wouldn't mould any chakra?" Naruto admonished. Sasuke snorted.

"That fool down there could leech chakra from other people. I just goaded him into taking some from the seal. I don't know how long I'll even be able to use chakra, but…"

Kakashi hummed. "I guess I'll be able to seal it now that you've completed your part in the preliminaries. Come on; it won't be too difficult since you managed to disrupt it. An Evil Sealing Method with a Four Trigrams Seal should be fine for this long." Kakashi gave Naruto an eye-smile. "We'll have to be careful, though. We can't see through tall grass, can we?" Kakashi and Sasuke both disappeared, while Naruto's eyes widened.

The next bout was called quickly enough: **Kumo no Samui vs. Kinuta Dosu**

Samui narrowed her eyes at the opponent whom she hadn't seen in the forest; indeed, he had not a scratch on his person. She hopped down to the fighting arena, followed by him. _I suppose if Naruto could take him, then there isn't much cause for worry. Even so, I won't let my guard down. His home is called the Hidden Sound for a reason, I've learned._

"Begin!" Hayate shouted. Dosu raged forward, and Samui hopped to the left, immediately drawing her blade. Electricity danced along the edge, and the kunoichi darted forward to test the waters. The blade was given a longer reach due to the ethereal lightning-natured chakra coursing through it, which Samui used to slice at Dosu's vulnerable parts. Dosu was quick to counterattack, going for a quick uppercut. Samui of course was able to dodge, but soon felt dizzy. Avoiding another blow only served to make the vertigo even worse.

Luckily for the quick-witted woman, she understood the basic nature of the problem before the third blow could be thrown: _Those vambraces!_ She sliced into one of his arms, sending blood and scrap to the ground. Samui twireld and did the same to his other arm.

Dosu growled and jumped back. "I see. So you aren't like the other Genin here. Not only were you capable of powering through my sound jutsu, but you destroyed the source as well. He got into a loose taijutsu stance. "No matter. There are certainly other ways to defeat you."

"Certainly not," Samui corrected, appearing directly behind him and stabbing her tanto into his shoulder. He was effectively tazed and dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"Winner: Samui! Medics!" Hayate called, letting loose a small cough as well.

As a gurney was requisitioned, Samui finally let loose the contents of her stomach before rejoining her team. The field was reset with a minor Earth technique, and the next fight was called.

 **Haruno Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino**

Sakura frowned lightly. She hardly cared about beating Ino, but it wouldn't serve as a proper test of how far she'd come since Wave. Orochimaru actually wasn't a fair comparison, either… "Hey Billboard-brow; you don't stand a chance against me, I'm sure you know," Ino taunted. Sakura snorted. She'd put the pig in her place.

Once down in the arena, Hayate called the match. Ino dropped into a sloppy taijutsu stance, while Sakura twirled a kunai. She didn't want to hurt her one-time friend, but humiliation was also a fond thought, so… Sakura tossed the kunai at the wall opposite of Ino, then circled her once. The other kunai was tossed into the opposite wall, and Ino was caught in Sakura's web. "It was simple ninja wire, Ino. And you fell for it. Yield, or… well, you won't like what happens," Sakura threatened.

Ino scowled. "I yield."

"Winner: Sakura!"

Sakura cut the wires and collected her kunai, while Ino returned to the stands dejectedly. "It's okay, Ino-chan. We'll just work harder for next time," Asuma encouraged.

 **Tenten vs. Sabaku no Temari**

This fight was the most entertaining by far; the two girls engaged in a battle befitting of Jounin; however, the key factor at play here was that it was a complete mismatch. While Tenten was formidable with her thrown weapons, Temari could lazily deflect them all with minimal chakra usaged. She was quickly defeated once Temari saw the first opening. " _ **It was to be expected, anyway; weapons didn't get you very far unless they had a special property, case in point the Kirigakure Shinobigatana Nananin Shu, Kumogakure's**_ _**relics, that accursed Uchiha's fan…"**_ Kurama silently judged within Naruto's head. Naruto couldn't help but agree.

In the next two fights, Shino tricked a genin named Abumi Zaku into defeating himself, and Shikamaru used his Shadow Possession in order to force Kin to forfeit.

 **Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba**

"Yahoo! We get the dead-last, Akamaru!" Kiba boasted. Akamaru whined piteously.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Listen to the puppy, Kiba. I'm not the Naruto you used to know." Naruto hopped over the edge and walked to the center, unsealing the Executioner's Blade in the process.

As soon as Hayate called the match, Naruto charged forward to engage Kiba, swinging the Executioner's Blade before Kiba could get within unarmed range. Kiba backpedalled away before immediately dropping a smoke pellet. Naruto scoffed lightly, his pupil expanding into the Rinnegan. He peered through the smoke and threw his sword at it, the wide girth of the weapon cutting through the dense fog and nearly bifurcating Kiba. The sword embedded itself into the wall.

 _Still don't have much in the way of Paths quite yet… subterfuge against an Inuzuka is a decent way to gain experience, though._ Naruto discretely made a Shadow Clone, noting that Kiba's senses did not extend to chakra exertion. The clone had been given instructions before he was even formed, so Naruto decided to test the waters a bit.

"I'm still gonna kick your ass into next week, Dead Last! C'mon, Akamaru! Four Legs!" The human-puppy duo jumped him and began spinning in tandem to the point that they resembled a drill, heading right towards Naruto. "Fang Over Fang!"

Naruto held out his hand. "Almighty Push."

Kiba and Akamaru pressed against an unseen force, halting them mere inches away from Naruto's person. They were quickly thrown backwards. Naruto couldn't help but smirk at his luck— they'd landed right on his trap. _Ya know, Kurama, I'm glad I have you inside of me. You've done more for me than a lot of other people. Like teaching me seals, for one thing._ "Endgame, Kiba. Five Seal Barrier."

It wasn't possible for Kiba to escape this, considering all five sealing tags that Naruto had placed had to be removed at the same time. "What the Hell is this, Naruto!?" Kiba shouted, punching at the barrier only to be blasted backwards. "Hey, this isn't fair!"

"Proctor, please call the match…" Naruto requested. "It isn't possible for one person to escape this barrier." Naruto collected his sword and resealed it.

"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"

After cleaning the battlefield, Naruto returned to his team. Sasuke gave him a smirk. "So, you've finally managed to beat Kiba in a fight, huh? Took you long enough. Even with that victory, though, you aren't beating me."

Naruto smirked back. "We'll see in the finals, bastard. Sakura, you were amazing! You really showed Ino who's boss. Team Seven made it to the finals!"

"Naruto, I hope you don't mind, but I'll be training Sasuke and Sakura-chan without you for a while. Hokage-sama told me that someone has requested to give you specialized training. I think they'll offer you something incredibly useful," Kakashi said.

Naruto, while slightly put off that he wouldn't train with his team, was ecstatic about learning from someone that Hiruzen had approved. "Fine by me, Sensei! Oi, Sasuke, why weren't you copying any techniques in the Forest? That certainly would have helped."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You never used any hand seals, idiot. Oro— the Kusa-nin barely did, either, and the one he did wasn't a jutsu I could copy. How am I supposed to copy techniques without hand seals?"

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Of course, heh heh…"

Sakura sighed. "Sometimes, it seems like you're getting smarter, Naruto-kun. Then you say something stupid, and you're back to square one."

Naruto sighed dejectedly. "Sakura thinks I'm stupid… woe is me…"

Hayate coughed gaining everyone's attention. "The next match is between Akimichi Chouji and Kumo no Karui."

Karui grinned and hopped down into the arena. Chouji looked hesitant to compete. "C'mon, Chouji; if you fight, I'll treat you to barbecue later," Asuma encouraged.

Chouji had a fire in his eyes like never before. "Yosh! For barbecue!" He jumped into the arena as well.

Karui unsheathed her long blade. "I'll show you Konoha-nin who the real strongest of the five is: Kumo!"

Hayate called the match.

It happened like this.

Chouji shouted, "Partial Expansion!" His fist was enlarged several times, and he brought it down upon Karui. Karui disappeared in a Body Flicker and reappeared in front of Chouji directly after his fist came down, a clone next to her. Together they delivered a crushing double uppercut to his chin, sending him into the air and cancelling his expansion. One of the Karui's tossed her sister at Chouji, dispelling the airborne one and discharging electricity into Chouji's body. He came down to the ground with a thud, the only movement being an odd twitch.

"Winner: Karui! Medics!"

"Eeh? She won in two moves! And she only used two jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You mean the clone and the lightning jutsu?" Asuma asked. Naruto shook his head.

"That was a Lightning Clone. It works similarly to a Speed Clone, but it's infused with just lightning instead of lightning and wind. When it dispels, it reverts to lightning, electrocuting anything it touches. The Speed Clone is better, but you need to possess Swift Release in order to make any use of it…"

Kurenai cocked her head. "Then what was the second jutsu? And how do you know about the Lightning Clone? I haven't even seen it in the field…"

"The other jutsu she used was a Body Flicker… and I know about the Lightning Clone because I _have_ come across it. Kaka-sensei's started tossing around ninjutsu every now and again during our spars. Keeps us on our toes. I think he just doesn't want to lose, personally…"

Asuma snorted, "Yeah, like Kakashi would be worried about going up against rookie Genin."

Naruto gave him a knowing smirk. "More than you'd know. Now hush; the next match is about to begin."

 **Hyuuga Hinata vs. Hyuuga Neji**

Hinata's face paled. Neji smirked and hopped down into the arena. "Oi, oi; Hinata-chan, why're you making a face like that? You were one of the top graduating kunoichi for a reason, ya know? Kick his ass!" Naruto shouted.

Hinata smiled shyly at him. "Naruto-kun…" Her eyes hardened, and she entered the arena.

Neji gave Hinata a condescending staredown. "Hinata-sama, I'm sure you know which of us is fated to win this match. I beseech of you to stand down."

Hinata activated her eyes, the veins on her cheeks pulsing. "Nii-san… I'll never bow to you again. It has nothing to do with fate. I just won't allow you to do as you please anymore."

"Begin," Hayate called. Hinata and Neji immediately shot forward, tossing blows that looked more glancing than anything else. Even still, Naruto could clearly still see the chakra bouncing off of their fingertips.

 _Huh. So that's the Gentle Fist. It wouldn't hurt to bastardize it even if I can't see Tenketsu like a Hyuuga…_ Naruto studied their chakra build ups and releases carefully. It wasn't as simple as Sasuke's copying, but it was certainly effective.

Naruto's eyes widened a fraction as he witnessed the skill that Hinata displayed. "She's been holding back quite a bit more than I'd anticipated," he noted. Sasuke and Sakura looked at him, with Sakura vocalizing their shared question.

"You knew she was this strong, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shook his head. "I knew that she'd pulled her punches back in the Academy, but I wasn't certain to what extent. She may have equaled or surpassed Sasuke's taijutsu at one point, though there's no way that that's the case now."

"Hm," Sasuke muttered. "And here I thought she was just weak and timid."

Sakura uncharacteristically snorted. "While being an heiress to a clan? No one would accept that, least of all a clan like hers."

Neji's fingertips brushed over one of Hinata's arms. "Fate put me below you as a mockery to both of us." Hinata hacked blood as Neji continued to speak. "The two of us were born to a pair of twins. Both of a noble house. Yet my father was discarded and branded. Yours was heralded as a God. Why? They were _equal_!" Another glance made Hinata's ear ring and her mouth droop. "Yet, here you and I are. With me, entering my father's shoes, and you entering yours. The two of us aren't equal. I'm far stronger than you, and far more worthy… but Fate put me below you! Fate made me better than you, but also worse!"

The fight increased in intensity, with Naruto being able to see the chakra in the air even more clearly. Even so, it was obvious that Neji would at some point be the victor. Hinata fought well, but Neji was on another level entirely. Neji's palm came into contact with Hinata's clothed chest, and blood spilled from the clan heiress' lips. She fell to the ground, convulsing heavily.

No one moved for several heartbeats. Then Hinata crawled back to her feet, eliciting a snarl from Neji. "Proctor, call the match. She cannot continue in such a state." He re-entered his stance.

"No… I can still fight…" Hinata moaned, also preparing for another bout. _Naruto-kun is watching… for him… for all that he means…_ Her eyes hardened, even though her vision was blurry from her wounds. _I can't give up here. Not until I can't move anymore. And even then…_

"I won't stop fighting," she said, her voice clear once more.

Neji growled low in his throat and charged forward, intent on ending it once and for all. Hinata shakily moved to meet him, but in a puff of smoke, she was gone. A few paces away, one could see her being cradled by Naruto, who used his body as a shield in case Neji decided to engage again. His head was turned, with his Rinnegan glinting maliciously at Neji. There was no scowl. There was no grit in his teeth or tremor in his bones. But those cerulean, ringed eyes…

Neji saw the Devil within them.

"Who do you think you are…?" Naruto muttered lowly. His voice seemed to boom, even if it were barely a whisper in the wind.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata muttered, attempting to lift a hand up and touch his face. She was too poorly and faint to manage it, however.

"Is this the treatment of the Main Branch once more? Here, of all places?!" Neji roared into the sky, unable to direct the words at Naruto himself. _Not after what I saw in his eyes_ , he thought. _I'll never look in them again._

"She's done nothing to you, Neji," Naruto said with a calm bordering on sociopathic. "I know about the Hyuuga and their branches. Do you know what any other Main Branch member—, no, what a _ninja_ , who is supposed to embody _unfairness_ and any _tactical advantage_ possible— would have done to beat you? They would have used that seal on your forehead."

"Who are you to speak of—!" Neji's next rant was stopped cold by Naruto's calm voice.

"Shut up while I'm talking."

Neji froze involuntarily. Naruto continued. "You know… sometimes I think people are too absorbed in themselves, in their own anger and madness, to truly understand that while the world is cruel… It isn't out to get anyone. We aren't puppeted around on strings. Any excuse for why you hate the Main Branch… is an excuse on why you feel yourself inferior. Hinata is better than you. Not because she's from the Main House… not because you're from the Branch House… but because in her eyes, you're only people. In her eyes, you're only family. And in your eyes, there's an imaginary division."

Hinata's eyes leaked tears as Naruto spoke. _He understands… more than Neji-nii does… and Neji-nii is the one with a seal…_ It was then that she realized something. Two things connected Neji and Naruto. Their eyes, and their seals. _No… they've always been the same. With the same burden. Naruto-kun just chose to rise above it._

"Neji… I'm not looking for you to learn from my words. I'm not looking for you to change. The second I saw you try to kill her over something like this… was the second you became not a person to me. I'd better not fight you in the finals." Naruto handed Hinata over to a medic.

"Winner by disqualification: Hyuuga Neji!" Hayate called.

"Neji… I'll show you who defines Fate."

Neji's eyes narrowed as Naruto entered the stands once more. _Those eyes mean nothing. He is still beneath my notice._

" _ **Naruto…"**_ Kurama growled. " _ **If you don't learn to control your emotions better, then you'll end up like you did every other time over the course of your lives."**_

 **Rock Lee vs. Sabaku no Gaara**

"Yosh! The moment I've been waiting for!" Lee shouted as he leaped into the air and landed in the arena. Naruto turned to look at Gaara, only to notice him staring. Naruto stared right back, noticing that Gaara may have been the only person to feel no intimidation from looking him in the eye. Gaara then broke it by Body Flickering into the arena.

"Let the match begin!"

Lee instantly rocketed forward, intent on defeating Gaara as quickly as possible. But Gaara's sand was intensely quick, blocking every shot that Lee took. This pattern continued in a stalemate, with the sand being quick enough to fight Lee of, but not quite quick enough to counterattack. Lee backed of, huffing and looking for an angle.

"Lee! Take them off!" Gai shouted.

Lee took a pair of weights out of his ankle warmers. "Now, just what the Hell are a couple of—" Temari was cut off as the weights impacted against the ground, creating massive craters.

Naruto grinned. "Well, damn. Looks like he wasn't even warmed up yet. And on top of that we use the same style."

Kakashi gave a smile as his team turned to look at him. "Well, I suppose that if Gai had a disciple, I'd go ahead and create one for Lee. It's more of a prank, really. On you. Have fun."

Naruto rolled his eyes before turning back to the bout.

As Lee managed to land a hit, Gaara began moving the sand manually, drastically improving the speed. "Lee! Remember what I said about protecting your comrades!" Gai shouted over the whooshing sounds of Lee's and the sand's movements.

"Hai, Gai-sensei!" Lee acknowledged.

"Well, you can't protect them all without using your full strength!" Gai admonished.

"Hai, Gai-sensei! Then…" Lee responded.

"Full Burst!" Gai responded!

"Now, just what the Hell does he mean—!" Temari was once more cut off when dense chakra rolled off of Lee in spades.

"Gate of Opening: Release!" Lee shouted, blitzing Gaara with even higher strength and intent. His blows began connecting quickly, with Gaara too stunned to respond. "And then! Gate of Healing! Gate of Life! Gate of Pain! Release!" With godspeed, Lee began beating around Gaara like a ragdoll, tearing up the arena like wet paper. The aura was so great that many people had to brace themselves.

Naruto stared wide eyed. He then narrowed his eyes. _That power-up won't last long. And here I thought that it might be useful. Last stand techniques aren't really my thing._

Two dozen punches impacted against Gaara, all of which contorted his face into a different shade of agony. Finally, Lee partially undid the wrappings on his hands and wrapped them around Gaara, taking him down to the ground. "Front Lotus!"

The boom was near deafening.

Once the rubble settled, Gaara stood over Lee, with Lee having one of his legs and arms crushed to near paste. Gaara's sand tried to constrict Lee even further, but Hayate, Gai, and Kakashi interfered. "Lee is defeated. Continuing to fight will result in disqualification," Hayate warned.

Gaara nodded, recalling his sand. He then looked at Naruto. "You are next, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Winner by debilitation: Sabaku no Gaara!"

Gaara returned to his team.

"What did you do to piss him off so much, Naruto?" Kurenai shrugged.

"I guess he's calling me out because I'm stronger than him."

 **Kumo no Omoi vs. Sabaku no Kankuro**

"This will be the last match, as there are no more contestants. Misumi gets a pass into the finals," Hayate announced

"Oh man… what if I lose? Will I be disgraced? Disowned? Excommunicated? Assassinated? Im—" Omoi was cut off by Karui kicking him into the arena, a deadpan present on her face.

"Kankuro, you better not lose!" Temari shouted.

"Begin," Hayate ordered, stepping back.

Omoi unsheathed his kodachi and charged it with lightning chakra. "You know, I didn't think I'd get to fight you again so soon."

Kankuro smirked. "I'll show you what Suna is truly capable of this time. Come at me!"

"Hoh…? So those two teams crossed paths in the forest? Why didn't Samui-chan say anything?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"So I'm supposed to tell you everything now; is that right?" Samui pondered, walking up to the group.

"Well, not _everything_ , but that would have been pretty _pertinent_ ," Naruto responded cheekily.

"To be honest, it wasn't a very big thing. It was a tiny skirmish where we didn't get to showcase much before I deemed it not worth the risk. I fought Gaara, while Karui handled the blonde with the fan. Omoi fought the doll-face puppeteer. I doubt he'll fall for that little trick of his again, though." Samui was watching the fight the entire time she spoke.

Naruto grinned. "I can't wait to fight you, Mui-chan."

Samui cocked an eyebrow amusedly. "Getting a little informal, are we? You're interesting, Naruto-san. Or would you prefer 'Ruto-kun?'" The unfaltering smile on the Rinnegan wielder's face told her the answer. "I can't wait until we clash, either. I hope it comes soon."

Sasuke noticed Sakura glaring at Samui. "So you really do like him?" he whispered to her.

Sakura blushed. "What? Of course not. Isn't it obvious who I like by now?" she countered.

Sasuke nodded. "Yes, it is obvious. Very."

Sakura said nothing else. Naruto and Samui continued to idly chat while watching the fight.

Omoi went for a stab at Kankuro's chest, but it was blocked. Unexpectedly, Omoi dropped his kodachi, jumped up, and kicked at the sack on Kankuro's back, landing and catching his kodachi in one move. The bundle separated from Kankuro, and Omoi stabbed into Kankuro's heart, ripping up and sending springs and wood everywhere.

The bundle unwrapped itself, revealing Kankuro. "Tch. I knew it wouldn't fool you again, but I also didn't think I'd be fighting you. Didn't have time for a new tactic, or to even switch back. Now my puppet's gone. Doesn't matter. I won't give up."

"Oh, I would if I were you," Omoi said, pointing behind Kankuro. Another Omoi was poised to cut him down. "I'd do it _right now_ , actually."

"...Fine. I yield," Kankuro said through grit teeth.

"Winner: Kumo no Omoi!"

"Well, Mui-chan, it seems that Kumo hasn't relaxed their training at all. Your whole team passed to the finals even though you chose the worst possible place to enter, considering our village histories. I'm impressed, honestly," Naruto commended.

Samui gave an appreciative nod. "That's nice of you to say. Your team isn't too shabby either; especially with the Uchiha. And your eyes are peculiar. Can't say I've seen them before, but I'd wager your barrier techniques are apart of it."

Naruto gave a nod, not going into detail. "That isn't all I'm capable of. It doesn't define me at all."

Samui offered a smile. "I don't judge based on bloodlines. I judge based on work ethic. You obviously put effort into being a shinobi. You care about and respect the profession. That's why I find you so interesting. Most Genin of your experience think it's some kind of fairy tale. Or a coat of honor. It isn't. It's a game of death. And no eyes, no matter how fancy, can make or break that mindset. That's more than your blood. That's who you are." She rejoined her team.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Looks like you have a girlfriend, Naruto. And a Kumo kunoichi, at that."

Naruto suddenly found his sandals _very_ interesting. "What of it?"

"Could all of the finalists return to the floor so we can determine the finals fights?" Hayate requested. Once everyone entered the arena, the results were posted.

Round One, Match One: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji

Round One, Match Two: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Sabaku no Gaara

Round One, Match Three: Kumo no Samui vs. Haruno Sakura

Round One, Match Four: Nara Shikamaru vs. Sabaku no Temari

Round One, Match Five: Kumo no Omoi vs. Aburame Shino

Round One, Match Six: Kumo no Karui vs. Tsurugi Misumi

"You have one month to train. Analyze your opponents and overcome your weaknesses. For now, I bid you adieu." Hayate left.

"Naruto, you'll most likely find Jiraiya-sama in the hot springs. You'll know him when you see him," Kakashi said. "Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan; with me. Naruto-kun, ja ne!"

"Bye, Naruto-kun!" Sakura said.

"Later, loser," Sasuke said.

"See ya, Kaka-sensei, Sakura-chan, Bastard. I'll get stronger and defeat everyone in the finals."


	6. Red Dawn Festival

Naruto stared at Jiraiya, remaining unimpressed as the man stared into the women's baths. _Well, enough of this_. "Universal Pull," Naruto called, yanking Jiraiya towards him. Jiraiya crashed into the water before rebounding and glaring at Naruto. Oddly enough, _recognition_ lit up in his eyes. And not the kind from just looking at his file, either. It was more like… _Has he seen me before now without me realizing it?_

Naruto pondered words that Kurama had tossed around in his rants.

 _ **Your father said something like that once before, and look where that got him.**_

 _ **If you ask me, you'll be no better than that hypocritical father of yours— the one who holds my ire the most.**_

 _ **...For killing your parents?**_

 _ **...Your father's use of Sage Mode…**_

What doesn't make sense here? Naruto mentally screamed. Kurama remained silent. "Jiraiya, right? I'm Uzumaki Naruto. You wanted to train me?"

Jiraiya's wits came back, and he stood to his full, imposing height. "That's correct, brat. I want to take you on as my apprentice. You know, my last apprentice was actually the Yondaime Hokage?" Naruto bowed appreciatively.

"I'd be honored, then, Jiraiya-sensei."

"Let's start small," Jiraiya suggested. "Can you water walk?"

Naruto nodded. "I can also kunai balance and split, burn, drench, and crumble leaves. Nothing past that, though."

Jiraiya hummed, clearly impressed. "I didn't think Kakashi would be able to teach so well. Well, there's no way you have a Summoning Contract, do you?"

Naruto shook his head. "Kaka-sensei said I could join his custom contract, but I pondered it first because they can't maintain themselves. Are you saying I can sign the Toad Contract?"

Jiraiya nodded. "I'd prefer to handle the rest of this, er, not in a public hot spring, possibly."

"There's always Training Ground #8. It's nearby and open to the public, if not a little worn down," Naruto suggested.

"I'll meet you there," Jiraiya confirmed. Naruto beamed and ran off. "...Five more minutes won't hurt," Jiraiya muttered, turning back to his peephole.

* * *

Naruto arrived at the training ground and noted that it was empty. He made twenty clones and set them to working on his Deva Path. Would be nice to have another Path, but I Really want to fly.

Jiraiya chose that moment to show up. "Alright, gaki. I see you've got some clones training with your eyes already. Right now, you should know that I've only ever seen the gravitational effects up close, but I have tips for unlocking others. That's going to wait. For a while. For now, sign the Toad Contract. You need to use your blood."

Jiraiya unfurled the large scroll. Naruto bit his thumb and used the leakage as ink. "Yatta! Now the bastard's a step behind me!"

"Right, then. Since I want you prepared for any variables in the finals, I'm starting your Rasengan training immediately. Once we get half way through the month you can work out an agreement with the toads. For now, take this." Jiraiya tossed Naruto a water balloon. "Pop it with your chakra. And only your chakra. If you need help—" Jiraiya cut himself off, as the balloon popped.

The Toad Sage blinked. "What the…? How did you do that?"

"Well, it was actually pretty easy," Naruto explained. "It's called 'Rasengan', or 'Spiraling Sphere'. Ergo, I assumed I'd need to spiral my chakra. I can see chakra flow with my Rinnegan, and lately I've kinda been able to see a tiny amount of tenketsu. Maybe it's evolving. Either way, I noticed that sending the chakra only one way wouldn't make it pop. It only made it get close to popping. I work on chakra control every day, even on missions and off days, so… It wasn't hard to manipulate it."

Jiraiya's eye twitched. I don't recall Nagato having quite this amount of talent. That's scary. "Try to form a Rasengan, using that same method, without the balloon."

Naruto did as he was told, and a blue ball of chakra appeared in his palm. "How has no one attempted this before? It's so easy!" he said, slamming the jutsu into a nearby tree and leaving that part hollow. "Ooh, I wonder if I can add my Fuuton chakra to it?!"

"Not yet," Jiraiya ordered. "I've taken note of another jinchurikki within the exams. Sabaku no Gaara. I want you able to counter him with your own bijuu. How well can you handle it?"

" _ **Naruto, I implore you to keep our communications a secret. They do not believe me to be as capable of thought as you have seen."**_

Naruto gave a low nod. "Jiraiya-sensei, I can call on tiny amounts of the beast's chakra, with or without his consent." Naruto had both lied and referred to Kurama as less than sentient— for that he'd have to make it up to him. "I think my Rinnegan may be more useful against him, though. I should be able to disable him before he can even transform, but… I need you to teach me some fuuinjutsu."

Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow. "How much do you know about it?" he asked, interested. "Because I can teach you eventually if you have no clue what you're doing, but if you have any kind of experience I can teach you something in time for the exams."

"Er, I only know theory, but I know what kind I'd need. Mainly offensive, since most of my Rinnegan abilities are defensive. And beyond that a tiny amount of supplementaries. I don't want to expand too much, but even with my eyes I'm decidedly lacking."

Jiraiya grinned lightly. "Huh. You're a golden egg, aren't you? Either way, you should know something." His face became grim. "There's a group of S-Ranked Missing Ninja roaming the nations. They're called Akatsuki, and their goal is to capture the tailed beasts regardless of if they're sealed or not. I'm sure you can guess what happens when a bijuu is taken out of a jinchurikki."

Naruto's face mirrored Jiraiya's. "I'd die, wouldn't I?"

"Yeah." Jiraiya looked up into the sky. "You'd die. And I don't know what the Hell they'd want with all the beasts, but we likely wouldn't survive the aftermath, either. Do you have any goals, Naruto?"

"I want to become Hokage one day," Naruto stated lowly, a bit dismayed not only for himself, but for Kurama as well. _These guys… they just think they can do what they want. They think that Kurama is some kind of commodity. That isn't the case, and I think I should show them the truth._

"Then you know that your bijuu will come in handy, don't you? Well, go ahead and dispel your clones and see what they've learned." Naruto did as he was commanded, gripped his head lightly, then grinned. He floated slightly into the air, while Jiraiya looked at him with a new eye. "Not many ninja can fly. In fact, I only think that I know of two others. How in control are you?"

Naruto moved around. "It's far more chakra taxing than just using Almighty Push or Universal Pull. It's like using both on myself at the same time. Still, it doesn't take _all_ of my chakra. I just doubt I could maintain it for very long, especially while using other jutsu. And I don't think I can use My Deva Path at all while doing this."

Naruto dropped to the ground, and Jiraiya took a few notes. "Man, I didn't think you'd make this kind of progress in one day. Or, rather, you've made the progress previously. Anyway, we can get something to eat, I guess, but what kind of monster would you be in the future?"

Naruto grinned, his cerulean eyes glinting. "The good kind, I hope."

* * *

Sasuke gripped his new chokuto he'd ordered before the exams began. He was getting taller, and would probably need new clothes soon. He watched Sakura and Kakashi engage in a spar. _She's getting pretty good. Beyond her intelligence she has a drive. Combined, those two things would turn anyone into a good ninja, regardless of special bloodline. I can't wait to see her go against that Samui girl._

Sasuke had just signed the Hawk contract. He'd known Itachi to utilize the Crows, so he wanted something that could counter it. He'd certainly have to train to make effective use of them, though. A strictly combat suited summon was unnecessary for someone with his offensive potential. Besides having a great way to be transported, the Hawks could scout and pick off weakened or unaware opponents. They were perfect for him.

Sasuke had also become interested in manipulating Raiton chakra even further. He'd noticed the way the Kumo team had been able to use their own affinities, and that was an interesting and powerful technique. It would greatly increase ihs own offensive potential as well as give him versatility. He couldn't help but smirk at this thought; the one advantage that the Kumo nin had, and he'd taken it away. He wondered how Naruto was faring. Kakashi had stated that Naruto's training would be given by a Sannin, and while he was far from jealous, Sasuke was curious about what that entailed exactly. Alas, he had no idea where Naruto was; indeed, Jiraiya could have very well taken Naruto out of the village until the finals.

Sasuke knew that his team was the strongest of the Rookies, and maybe even the strongest of all of Konoha's Genin. But he had to be stronger than that to beat Itachi. After all, Naruto not only had the Rinnegan; he also had that vile chakra. Sasuke could see it with his Sharingan— a separate chakra source welling deep within Naruto's core. He could tell that Naruto was far ahead of him, and that wasn't to be tolerated.

If Sasuke couldn't beat Naruto, then there wasn't any way to defeat Itachi.

"I'm joining in! Chidori!" Sasuke shouted, rushing forwards to meet Kakashi. Yeah, he couldn't let Naruto leave him in the dust. Naruto had big dreams, too, and he knew that Naruto wouldn't let them go so easily.

* * *

"Mui-chan!" Naruto called as he jogged up to Omoi, Karui, and Samui. They all turned to see the grinning, whiskered blonde.

"Oh, Ruto-kun. Why are you so happy?" Samui questioned, slightly amused. _I don't know why, but that smiling face always gets me._

"There's no way I'm losing to you guys in the finals. You know that, right? I'm gonna be champion. Although, I'm sure you'll be a close second, Mui-chan," Naruto said.

"Oi! What about us, Fishcake!" Karui shouted with a scowl. Naruto scowled right back.

"What _about_ you, Tomato Head?!" They bumped heads together, growling and throwing insults.

"Enough, you two. So uncool," Samui ordered.

"You can't fight here! It might spark a war between villages!" Omoi also interrupted.

Jiraiya caught up. "Naruto." There was a serious edge in his voice. Naruto and Karui stopped their bickering. "A pair of them is here." He had just explained to Naruto that Akatsuki travelled exclusively in pairs, so Naruto knew what he meant.

"Are we going to engage?" Naruto asked, activating his Rinnegan in apprehension. Jiraiya gave a low nod.

"I may actually _need_ you. Not even a Sharingan can counter the effects of another Sharingan."

"Sasuke's brother, then…" Naruto mused. "Who's his partner?"

"Hoshigaki Kisame," Jiraiya answered gravely. "The Tailed Beast without a Tail. I can take on Kisame with a bit of effort, but Itachi will need to be kept off of me."

Team Samui was shocked. "Jiraiya-sama, we can help if you need it," Samui informed.

Jiraiya shook his head. "All I need you to do is keep civilians back. This is going to get messy, but also needs to be done quietly. Besides that, Naruto and I can handle this ourselves. C'mon, Naruto." Jiraiya faded using his Hiding Like a Mole Technique.

Naruto turned to Samui. "Don't worry, Mui-chan. I'll be fine. I'm going to be Hokage one day, you know?"

Samui cocked an eyebrow. "Who said I was worried? I've seen first hand exactly what you can do. You'll be a great Hokage."

Naruto took a step forward, hesitated, then nodded at her, his eyes determined. He rushed off after his sensei.

Samui smiled. _So you aren't ready yet, huh? Be safe, Ruto-kun._

* * *

Jiraiya appeared directly in front of Kisame and Itachi. "Uchiha Itachi. Hoshigaki Kisame. I doubt you'll listen, but I'm going to have to ask that you stand down and not resist arrest. Otherwise…" Jiraiya slipped into his Frog Kata (sans Senjutsu). "I'll end you myself."

Naruto appeared a second later. _So, that's Itachi's brother, huh? I can see where the cloth was cut…_ He looked at Kisame. _And this must be the so-called Tailless Tailed Beast, then. His reserves are outclassing mine by quite a lot, and that's saying something._

"I see you've made our jobs easier, Jiraiya-sama," Itachi said coolly. "I was under the impression that this would be a slightly more difficult task. Kisame, go."

"With pleasure, Itachi-sama," Kisame said with a grin, rushing at Naruto. Naruto nodded at Jiraiya, creating a Rasengan in one hand and rushing at Kisame.

Kisame brought up the sword strapped to his back, completely blocking the Rasengan and launching Naruto backwards. Kisame rushed at him again, intending to bring the giant, scaled blade down onto Naruto's arm. Naruto kicked away with a hiss and floated above Kisame for a second, rushing at Itachi.

"Amaterasu."

Naruto's eyes widened when he noticed that Itachi's right eye began bleeding. An instant later, his jacket caught fire. _Shit!_ Naruto used his own eye to extinguish the Amaterasu flames, turning to glare at Itachi. "So, we can counter each other with that technique. Interesting." While Naruto could manipulate the black flames with his left eye, it seemed that Itachi was only capable of it with his right.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Your eyes. The Rinnegan. That could be an issue." Itachi drew a kunai and charged forward once more. Naruto growled and drew his own.

* * *

With Jiraiya and Kisame, the two began tossing heavy but practiced blows at high speeds. _It's a good thing I sent Naruto after Itachi_ , Jiraiya thought with macabre mirth. _Kisame is everything that Naruto is, but better. High strength, speed, durability, stamina, and chakra levels._

Kisame was striking furiously with his sword, but Jiraiya dodged every blow and reacted with a punch or kick. _Good. They aren't escalating the fight. We can contain them. Though I'm certain that they just want any chance that they can take to escape._

Kisame slipped through Jiraiya's guard, slamming the tip of Samehada into Jiraiya's stomach and flipping him onto his back. Kisame then kicked Jiraiya across the stone. Just as he'd decided to come down on Jiraiya and end it, Jiraiya's eyes gained a light amount of orange pigmentation, and he launched a fist. Without it even hitting Kisame, the green-skinned man was tossed backwards. Jiraiya's Sage Mode dissipated, and he rushed at Kisame once more. "Rasengan!" he shouted, launching the technique into Kisame's stomach.

* * *

Naruto's kunai clashed against Itachi's, and their battle began. Naruto quickly was forced to tank three punches from Itachi, faster than he could blink. He backed away, which proved to be a mistake as Itachi continued to press.

"Almighty Push!" Naruto called out, launching Itachi backwards. Naruto followed, holding out a cupped palm. "Rasengan!" Just as the technique connected, Itachi dissipated into a murder of crows. _What?_

" _ **Naruto, he can still affect you with Genjutsu. It's a bit convoluted, but there are some genjutsu that change the state of a person's body and turns it into reality. These are called Yin techniques, and they can fool the Rinnegan as well."**_

 _Thanks for the heads up this late, Kurama…_ Naruto groused as he frantically looked around for Itachi. Naruto's eyes widened as a red, titanic arm crashed into the space where he stood. A powerful burst of repulsive energy repelled the technique away from him. Standing adjacent from him was Itachi, covered in a red, gigantic, ethereal armor. "What… the… Hell…?"

"This is my Suasnoo, Naruto-kun," Itachi explained. "And you will not survive it."

Naruto unsheathed his Executioner's Blade and held it up in his right hand. "That remains to be seen, Itachi." Naruto rushed forward at his opponent, channeling Wind Release chakra into his sword and clashing it against Itachi's chakra based extension. His eyes widened when he noticed his chakra being sucked inside of the Susanoo. He backed away slightly, having to dodge once more as Itachi's red blade slammed into the Earth around him. Before he could completely recover, Itachi smacked him with the flat of the blade, sending him skidding along the ground.

" _ **Naruto, you won't win at this rate. Jiraiya underestimated him."**_ Kurama sighed. " _ **Here. My chakra should be sufficient enough for you to take him on. I can only give you so much for now, of course."**_

 _That's just enough, Kurama. Thank you._ Naruto's Rinnegan darkened from blue to purple. His whisker marks darkened slightly, and his canines and nails lengthened. He slung his sword up and pointed it at Itachi. " **You think absorbing chakra will help you? — What about when there's so much chakra that it just doesn't matter to me when you take it?"** Naruto rushed at Itachi with his speed greatly augmented, slamming his sword into the breast of the Susanoo. Itachi was forced to stagger lightly, but quickly recovered and tried to swing at Naruto again.

Naruto flipped onto the outstretched limb and severed the sword arm with his own sword. Itachi collapsed his Susanoo wordlessly. Then he rushed forward and began to engage Naruto with a single kunai, matching him blow for blow despite the power of a bijuu behind him. Itachi sent every one of Naruto's swipes off course, getting in tiny hits here and there. A backhand, a punch, a kick. Itachi then proved that his eyes didn't make him so fearsome. It was his skill. He dropped his kunai, gripped Naruto's swinging arm, and disarmed him, kicking him into the dirt.

"Almighty Push!" Naruto roared, sending Itachi off of him. "Amaterasu!" Itachi's cloak caught fire, forcing him to remove it. He landed from his toss in a crouch, brandishing a handful of shuriken and tossing them forwards. Naruto blocked them, smirking lightly. Itachi realized why when he was being cut through by a Shadow Clone. He dissipated into a murder of Crows. The clone was then skewed by a partial manifestation of Susanoo. Naruto rushed at the rogue Uchiha, noting that his eyes seemed to be bleeding. _Wonder what that's about_. Itachi blocked the Executioner's Blade once more with a kunai. Naruto channeled his Wind Chakra into the blade, instantly sawing through the knife before rushing into Naruto's safe zone and jamming an elbow into his chest. Naruto actually was forced back a few yards, giving Itachi room to flip through hand signs.

"Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu."

Naruto put up his sword to block, not wanting to waste anymore chakra with his Rinnegan since it seemed that this would drag out. _What the Hell is going on? Why haven't we gotten any backup?_

" _ **Naruto, I'd end this quickly if I were you. You're starting to take damage from my chakra,"**_ Kurama warned. Naruto sucked his teeth as Itachi began to effectively beat him like an academy student.

 _Well how do I make your chakra_ not _hurt me?!_ Naruto screamed in his head, barely launching off an Almighty Push to get some breathing room. Kurama grunted.

" _ **It certainly won't happen in this fight, so stop worrying about it."**_

* * *

After being hit by Jiraiya's Rasengan, Kisame evaporated. _Water Clone_ , Jiraiya mentally spat, dodging out of the way of an extended Samehada. The sentient blade began to chase Jiraiya, who had enough of it after ten seconds. "Needle Jizo!" Jiraiya called out after flashing through a few hand signs.

Samehada crashed into his elongated hair before pulling back. _Like I thought. I can confuse the sword, since it's pretty stupid._ Jiraiya flashed through signs again, this time aiming at a stunned Kisame. "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" Kisame had no way to dodge the intensely heated dragon, which crashed into his chest and separated him from Samehada. _I still need to stop the sword itself…_

* * *

Kurama's chakra dissipated from Naruto's form, and he breathed heavily. Itachi turned to look across the field, before narrowing his eyes. "Today our match ends in a stalemate, Naruto-kun. We can certainly pick up at a later date." He turned, once more, into a murder of crows, as did Kisame and Samehada farther away. Naruto resealed his Executioner's Blade as Jiraiya walked up to him.

"You did great today, Gaki. I'm going to make you do better, but today you did better than I could have hoped. We're going to get some food in you and get you home, alright?"

Naruto nodded, staring at the destruction and aftermath. "He was even tougher than Orochimaru, Sensei."

Jiraiya smirked. "And you still held your own. You've got time to get better. And I'll get you to that point."

* * *

Itachi looked up at the two halves of Zetsu. " **What do you have to say, Itachi?"** the black half asked.

"The Kyuubi Jinchurikki possesses the Rinnegan," Itachi answered as he treated Kisame's burns. "He is at least competent with it and can call upon his bijuu's chakra at will."

"Hmm… that's an interesting turn of events!" the white Zetsu squealed.

The black Zetsu snorted. " **It is more than that. It's a conundrum. Keep observing and report any changes. Our plans will have to be modified** _ **once again**_ **."**

Itachi mentally cocked an eyebrow at the growl hidden in Black Zetsu's tone. It seemed there was something to Naruto even beyond having those peculiar eyes. " **Even so, we have a way to counter this. It wasn't completely unexpected, after all, that the Uzumaki brat would pull something like this out of his sleeves. Since it ended up this way, though…"** Black Zetsu continued, his other half picking up halfway through.

"... You should also keep an eye on your brother. We'll need to draw more of your blood as well, so we can proceed. Remember your part well, Itachi!"

Itachi gave a low nod, his eyes changing shape into his Mangekyou. "Of course I know. Isn't that what we've discussed?" Out of his arm came a sharp bone. "I am just as unique as he is, after all."


	7. Finals Festival

Naruto pushed himself off the ground in rapid succession, perspiration coating his face. He had a grin plastered on his face as his muscled burned from tension. One of his hands were bound behind his back, and his sweat dripped down the crook of his nose and into a puddle in the dirt. It was his goal to not fall into it.

"Naruto, you can stop there. Come here; we're going to summon the Toads." Jiraiya stood from his perch under a tree and stretched. "Perform the summoning, and summon something _big_."

Naruto grinned, flipping through hand signs quickly and slamming his palm to the dirt. "Summoning Jutsu!" In a puff of smoke, both Jiraiya and Naruto stood on top of a giant, red toad. "What the Hell?!" Naruto exclaimed in shock and pain, clutching his eyes. "What the Hell is this?!"

"...This isn't one of my Toads!" Jiraiya shrieked. Indeed, the Toad instead had Naruto's Rinnegan patterned in its eyes. Naruto screamed again and fell to his knees.

"I can see what it sees! I can see what it sees, Sensei!" Tears fell out of Naruto's eyes and he spoke, and the Toad dispelled, causing the two to begin falling back towards the Earth. Jiraiya caught Naruto and laid him down while he hyperventilated.

"What did you see, Naruto?!" Jiraiya shouted, shocking Naruto out of his fetal position.

"I… saw what the Toad saw… What the Hell, Sensei? You didn't tell me about that!" Naruto sat up, clutching his knees to his chest.

"Summon it again. — No. Summon something else. Summon a snake." Jiraiya stood back this time. "And be prepared for… the backlash."

"But I don't have the Snake Contract!" Naruto protested.

Kurama gave a low hum. " _ **It's just another Path, Naruto. Calm yourself."**_

Naruto's eyes narrowed. _What kind of Path lets me summon Toads and see out of their eyes?_ He flipped through the hand signs again. _Unless…_ "Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto slammed his palm on the ground, and in a puff of smoke appeared a rather large Black Mamba that Naruto shared vision with. The snake slithered towards him upon his command, crawling up his arm and perching on his shoulder. Naruto willed it to dispel. "So I guess that I can't use the Toad Contract, huh? Not when I have this… Animal Path." The words felt _right_ coming off of his tongue. Like he'd always known them. "Wish I had this going up against Itachi. I could have wrecked his Susanoo."

Jiraiya snorted. "You could say that about any of the Paths if you'd bother to see what they were truly capable of. You have your Amaterasu— which can counter Itachi's— located only in your left eye and in Itachi's right. But you rarely use it for anything other than a distraction. And you don't even know what your right eye is capable of even after all this time. You have how many Paths so far— two? You have four to go, and I'm not going to even bother trying to figure those out until you're more proficient in at least Deva Path."

Naruto looked at the blades of grass trickling in the wind, noting how much clearer it looked to him now. It was like the world was bathed in a different shade of light, tweaking the richness and edges of color just slightly enough to perfect whatever he looked at. He could almost say that looking through the Rinnegan alone was enough to keep him motivated.

"It's time to keep training, Sensei." Naruto stretched out and slipped into his Strong Fist stance. "And I don't want to take it easy this time, either."

Jiraiya smirked as well, entering non-enhanced Frog Kata. _Look at him now, Minato. Even with those rings I can see you in his eyes. He won't have to hide for much longer. I'll make sure of it._

The master and student charged as one.

* * *

"Naruto, listen. There's more going on here than you know… and I don't care what Sensei says. I'm telling you right now, and you're going to have to make a choice." Jiraiya passed Naruto a saucer and shot glass, pouring him a small taste of sake. "We're going to be invaded very soon. During the Finals, actually. By Orochimaru, Oto, and Suna."

Naruto took a sip, his eyes unconsciously morphing into his Rinnegan. "How do you know?"

"It's actually thanks to you that we figured it out. You put Orochimaru's plans into overdrive when you fought him in the forest and then Sasuke sealed off his own Curse Mark. He slipped up, and it's all because a Genin team made him sweat a little. We know he has plans for Sasuke, which isn't good if he gave him that mark. It can only mean that Orochimaru wants to put his own soul into Sasuke's body, although with him having so little hold over him and not being anywhere near the point where he _can_ swap bodies, it likely won't be easy from his perspective. He tried to move his Sunagakure puppets too quickly. Gekkou Hayate managed to spy on Suna no Baki… and Yakushi Kabuto."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He _knew_ something was off about that guy. But to think he'd turn on his own village… "Further research concluded that Kabuto was not a ninja of Konoha for very long— in fact, he is a plant from Otogakure, leading me to think that Orochimaru has some major pull in that village. He may have even constructed it, if it's truly a village at all. That leads to _your_ part in all of this. I want you to guard Sensei through any means necessary."

Naruto looked at Jiraiya when he said that. Then he nodded lowly. "What'll Sasuke and Sakura be doing," the jinchurikki asked. Jiraiya downed a shot quickly before speaking.

"Sasuke is going to assassinate Sabaku no Gaara."

* * *

Naruto stared down at the crowd from a high perch on the day of the Finals, thinking over his training. He'd certainly went at it harder after Jiraiya's revelations two weeks ago. Since then he'd only seen Sasuke once, and that was by chance as Naruto and Jiraiya entered the village and Sasuke and Kakashi exited it. There weren't many words spoken between them. In fact, only Sasuke spoke.

" _You aren't leaving me behind, idiot."_

Naruto wasn't one hundred percent certain, but he felt that the sword that Sasuke carried could've been a real threat. NInja didn't carry around tools they didn't know to use. It was a silly thought. And if Sasuke was anything like Samui, Omoi, or Karui… there would be a reckoning during both the Finals and the invasion.

Naruto wondered how Sakura would fare against Samui. From what he'd seen, Samui was just as analytical as his teammate, only with far more power behind her. By that same token, Sakura seemed to have an incredible amount of work ethic and potential behind her, if what he'd seen from the last time he'd seen her and viewing her from above was any indication. It would be interesting regardless of the way it played out, and he doubted that anyone on his team would stay as a Genin.

Naruto stood up, remembering his mission of having to protect Hiruzen. _How exactly can I protect him against anything? Even with the Rinnegan and Kurama I'm no match for him. He's one of the strongest shinobi who've ever lived. I'm not sure what I can even offer to the fight if they're expecting it to be that tough!_ He was about to hop off of the light pole when he noticed someone Body Flicker to his location. "Yo, Crazy Snake Lady."

Anko smirked at him. "You don't seem as hyperactive as you did a month ago. Maturity finally hitting your brain?"

Naruto gave her a wry smirk. "You know how it hits with shinobi. Stress in the field wakes you up. And I've had plenty of it since I met you."

Anko tossed an arm over his shoulder. "You know, when Ibiki first pointed you out as someone to watch out for, I couldn't figure out why. I couldn't see anything in you that I hadn't seen before, of course not counting your eyes since Ibiki has never judged based on that kind of thing. And I think, after your performances in the Forest and in the Preliminaries, that I see what he sees."

Naruto looked at her. "What do you see, then, Anko?" He was honestly curious.

Anko let out a little smile. "It's hard to put in words. But, you're almost… _**sage**_." Anko turned away from him, preparing to move on. "Break a leg, kid. Just… not your own."

Naruto wiped a tear that he hoped she couldn't see away while she jumped. _I guess it isn't impossible. Then again, when is anything ever? Like Kaka-sensei said…_ _ **With eyes like mine, anything is possible**_ _._

" _ **Naruto… I think you'll be the first person to make me believe those words,"**_ Kurama said with a softer tone in his voice than normal. " _ **Don't you dare make me eat them."**_

* * *

"Welcome, all viewers, to the Chuunin Exams of Konohagakure no Sato!" Hayate called out as the Genin lined up in front of him. The crowd cheered while each Genin had a look of pure determination on their faces. "The rules are very simple. These bouts are between two individuals at any one time. Killing is allowed by technicality but is also severely frowned upon. Once I say a match is over and declare a winner, that is the end of it. If you are deemed unable to fight, you lose the match. Leaving the arena area is grounds for disqualification. Outside interference is grounds for disqualification for all liable parties. Additionally, you need not win the tournament, or even your first match, to qualify for promotion. This is at the discretion of the judges and beyond that your village. Ergo that means that all, some, one, or none of you may be promoted. If everyone understands this, we can begin. Would Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji stay in the arena, while all other contestants move to the participant's stand?"

Naruto and Neji glared at each other as the other Genin moved away. Neji slipped into his Gentle Fist stance quickly. "Neji… do you remember what I said to you after you nearly killed Hinata?" Naruto activated his Rinnegan and slipped into a taijutsu stance, different from his usual Strong Fist. His left hand wasn't behind his back anymore. Instead, it was lower than his right arm, curled into a fist. His right hand, which was usually tightened with his palm facing upwards, was facing towards Neji, similar to the Gentle Fist stance. "I'm going to show you exactly why you made a huge mistake."

"I don't know what you plan to do with that pitiful stance, but I'll tell you one thing." Neji's Byakugan activated through sheer anger. "You aren't above fate. And I'll show you where it placed you. Right along with Hinata-sama."

"First Match: Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuuga Neji. Begin." Hayate hopped away from the two right as they charged.

Neji made to strike first, going directly for Naruto's heart. The Hyuuga smirked when he realized that Naruto was going to attempt to block instead of dodge. _He truly is a deadlast. He saw what the Gentle Fist could do, and yet… — !_

Naruto blocked Neji's strike with his own palm strike, and Neji grit his teeth when he saw that not a single tenketsu in Naruto's hand was damaged. Then Naruto's left fist shot out and buried itself into Neji's gut, making the Hyuuga's Byakugan deactivate. Neji hopped away despite the pain and readied himself, spitting blood into the dirt.

Naruto held a hand out. "Universal Pull." Against his will, Neji was yanked forwards and into Naruto's debilitating left hook, snapping Neji's head backwards as he continued forward, sliding on his knees and ultimately falling on the back of his head. Neji looked up with fury in his eyes, rushing at Naruto with speeds that he hadn't had during the preliminaries.

Neji and Naruto traded blows quickly, and Neji proved that his title of genius was not mistaken as he quickly pieced together what Naruto was doing. _He's not even using the Gentle Fist correctly. All he can do is focus chakra into his palms for added striking force. It isn't precise at all, but it simulates the force behind a cannon. That is certainly dangerous, considering that he uses Lee's taijutsu. Mix all of that in with his Rinnegan— which I certainly don't know the limits of— and this fight leans towards him in brute force._ Neji began to weave in and out of Naruto's strikes, before getting in close and managing to hit him in the side with chakra laced fingers. Naruto hissed in pain, and a phantom force tossed Neji away from him.

Neji internally grinned as he realized that Naruto wasn't very technique heavy. _I see. He doesn't have much control over either the Strong Fist or the Gentle Fist. He's still dangerous simply because of the training he went through to correctly perform the Strong Fist, however. Still, I can beat him with this._

Naruto held out his palm once more. "Universal Pull." In his right hand he began forming a Rasengan. Neji began spinning in mid air. "Rasengan!" Naruto called out, slamming the spiraling sphere forward.

"Eight Trigrams Rotation!" Neji called out, a sphere of swirling energy quite similar to the Rasengan forming around the dimensions of his body. The two techniques clashed, causing a shrill **[BOOM]** before tossing both fighters backwards. Neji skipped along the dirt like a ragdoll. Naruto's arm had been blown off at the elbow, blood, bone, and muscle in the trail behind him.

Naruto groaned and sat up, noting with glee that his arm began to reconstruct itself as if he were some kind of machine. _A new Path… Ashura Path. I can work with this._ His arm came back together totally, and he was instantly hit with an intense fatigue. _Kurama, what's happening?!_

" _ **It seems that your Rinnegan can't handle switching between Paths quickly yet. I'd say that the reason for this is my presence within you. It's a similar effect to using an odd numbered seal over what's sealing me inside of you, only the even seal that I'm trapped in seems to provide interference for your eyes. Jiraiya will have to look into it at a later date."**_

Naruto clicked his tongue as Neji struggled to his feet. "Do you see the difference between us, Neji!?" Naruto screamed. "Do you see it now!? I've clearly drawn a division between us! Did Hinata ever do that!? **NO!** " Kurama's chakra began to leak into Naruto's system, giving his Rinnegan a maroon tint. " **She doesn't see lines that way. So don't hate her. Hate** _ **me**_ **, and then do something about it."**

Neji couldn't look away from Naruto's eyes. It was worse every time he saw it. Neji began sobbing as he scrambled away from Naruto. "I surrender! I surrender! Please, just get him away from me! Please!"

Naruto released his hold on Kurama's chakra, feeling even more fatigued than before. _Shit. I shouldn't have expended so much energy. Now it'll be harder to go against Orochimaru, and I could barely handle him when I fought him at full mast._

"Winner of the First Match: Uzumaki Naruto!" Hayate called out, releasing a sickly cough. "Medics!" Naruto made his way to the contestant stands, where Sakura greeted him warmly.

"Naruto-kun, you were amazing!" Sakura wrapped her arms around the blonde boy, who stiffened lightly before reciprocating the affection.

"Thanks, Sakura. I'm sure you'll do great, too!" Naruto let her go and crawled his vision over the other contestants. Gaara stared directly at him with murderous intent, which Naruto pointedly ignored. "Sakura, I have to go to the Old Man's spot, so I need you to focus on your match and opponent. And keep in mind that I… I want you to do your best." _Damn it, I don't even know who I want to win between the two of them! It's confusing! Sakura's my teammate, but I want to fight Mui-chan later on!_

Sakura, noticing the hesitation and the specific wording, lost a bit of the joy in her eyes. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. You'd better be ready to face me in the next round."

Naruto gave a large grin. "You, too."

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked over the stadium crowd in contemplation. To either of his sides were the Kazekage, Hakaisuna no Rasa; and Jiraiya. Hiruzen knew exactly who the veiled Kazekage truly was, even if said person didn't. "How did you enjoy the first match, Kazekage-dono?" Hiruzen asked.

Orochimaru— for that was the man posing as Rasa— hummed lightly, stroking his arm in thought. "The Uzumaki brat. His eyes are peculiar. Rinnegan, I assume? An Uzumaki with a doujutsu is a scary thought, but seeing one once wielded by the Father of Ninjutsu… I wonder how well the Uchiha will hold up against him? He'd have to get past my son first, of course."

Hiruzen was mildly disgusted at how far Orochimaru was playing this game. Killing a father, misleading his children and their whole nation, and manipulating their emotions? It was something that Hiruzen didn't agree with. _You wouldn't like to see what I've fostered after you left us, Sensei. I'm sorry. But I'm correcting my mistake today._

Naruto appeared next to Hiruzen with a grin. "Ohayou, Jiji, Sensei. Since I've finished my first match I figured I'd start with my duties a bit early."

 _ **If he tries anything, I'm going to kill him immediately.**_

Hiruzen smiled. "Ah, of course you're welcome to do so Naruto-kun. Make sure you're fair when delivering verdicts, though. But don't be lenient either. Follow through; that's the way to becoming Hokage."

 _ **Don't you dare hold back for a second, then.**_

The unspoken message resonated between the two in a way that Hiruzen had never thought possible. _I've felt the effects of his eyes piercing into me before, but now it feels more like they're cooperating with me. Just what kind of powers do you have that I'm missing?_ "Naruto-kun, I saw that you unlocked more abilities of your eyes before. You tired out afterwards, though you seem fine now. How come?"

Naruto scratched his head, mouth pursed as he spoke. "It was mostly because Neji blew my arm off. It took a lot of chakra simply because I had to switch the abilities of my eyes and also because I'd never used that Path before, but above that it was just hard to regrow the limb because of exactly where it stumped. I'm really supposed to regenerate at exact points, but eh…"

"Naruto, why don't you ever try unlocking them when we train?" Jiraiya asked with an eye roll. "Makes them that much more effective in combat."

 _It doesn't really work like that, though. Too bad I can't tell him that._ "Ah, I just feel like I need to focus more on other aspects of my training. The ones that aren't a kekkei genkai, you know, so I can keep sharp and not get complacent. Wouldn't do to go blind in one eye and not be able to toss around ninjutsu just 'cause they're all dependent on my Rinnegan."

"The boy will be wise as he matures," Orochimaru complimented. "I can see why you've chosen him as a potential successor, Hokage-dono."

Hiruzen hit his pipe with a forlorn breath before releasing it. "It wasn't simply for his heritage, you know. The boy showed me on his own that he had what it took long before that came into play."

"Hokage-sama, that means a lot to me," Naruto said with a smile. "I think that the next match is beginning, though…" With that, Hayate called for Sasuke and Gaara. _I wonder how hard it will be for Sasuke to kill him…_

It quickly became apparent that Sasuke had yet to show up. _Is he preparing something at the last minute?_ Naruto thought. _Jiji won't allow him to be disqualified since he's slated to assassinate Gaara right here, but it would look suspicious to not do so._

Horizon stood up. " **Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Gaara will fight at the end of the first round. Please move onto the next fight."**

 _...Well that answers that, I guess._

* * *

 _The pain was nearly intolerable. Sasuke's breath came shallow and quick, his face clammed with sweat. He was unable to even_ _ **move**_ — _that was how far gone he was. His bones felt raw and hollow, his skin like a chafing orange peel. His very hair follicles screamed in change. And in his dreams, all he could see was a dark figure with yellow eyes_ _ **glaring down at him**_ _._

"Sasuke, are you awake?"

Kakashi turned his head quickly to the side as a spear of bone nearly pierced through his skull. Instead it stuck itself into the wall ten or so meters away. It had come out of Sasuke's palm of all places. "...I didn't know you were sexually active already. Use protection against Gaara, ne?"

"Shut up, Kakashi."

Neither noticed the Zetsu watching them.

* * *

Samui rose an eyebrow at Sakura. "You seem to have some sort of vendetta against me. I've never really spoken to you before, so why is that?"

Sakura stopped the scowl she hadn't even known she had sent towards her opponent. "I just want to win. Really, really badly." _If I win here, Naruto-kun will definitely see that I'm better than her! Heh. And why shouldn't he? I'm fabulous!_

Samui unsheathed her tanto, charging it with ration chakra. "I won't go down easily, you know? I'm the strongest member of my team, and you're the weakest of yours. No offense, of course."

The scowl returned to Sakura's face, before quickly being replaced by a sardonic smile. "Well, if I'm the weakest, and you're the strongest, this battle will show something about the strength of our villages, won't it?"

A small smile creeped its way onto Samui's face. "I hope your bite is as big as your bark."

"Second match: Haruno Sakura vs. Kumo no Samui is underway."

Samui charged at Sakura at a breakneck pace, swinging her sword with her right hand in vertical arc.

But it was blocked.

Sakura held a kunai in her palm.

And it was laced with Katon chakra.

Samui was surprised enough that Sakura could force her back. Sakura then lengthened the blade and engaged Samui in a frantic dance of death. Sparks of red and blue flew everywhere, and both women were sweating profusely. There was no room for error on either party's front, as any small slip-up could end the match, and even their lives.

* * *

"Naruto, what's happening? How can Sakura keep up with her?" Ino asked in jealous shock.

Naruto glanced at her, then back at the match. "She trained. Hard. Anyone can do it if they really want to. If you can't match them, I guess you don't really want to be a kunoichi, then."

Ino growled, but looked away. _He's right. At this rate, Sakura will get Sasuke-kun before me!_

Naruto turned his attention away from the match for a moment, taking note of a multitude of Suna and Oto shinobi in the crowd. He made another Kage Bunshin and dispelled it, so the placement could be noted by Hiruzen.

* * *

Sakura had managed to press Samui into defensive maneuvers, where there was no room to breathe. _So uncool…. Guess I'll have to start using some mid-range ninjutsu._ "Electromagnetic Murder!" Sakura rolled out of the way of the lightning bolt, but the jutsu had fulfilled its purpose: to get Samui some much-needed space.

Samui went in for the kill, but suddenly, an elbow caught her in the back of her head. Sakura shimmered out of existence.

As Samui gained her bearings, she cursed. _Genjutsu…_

Sakura smirked, "Demonic Illusion. I've got plenty more where that came from."

Samui gave a cheap grin. "Alright, I see you as a dangerous opponent. So I hope you don't mind me going all out. **Hachiman Armor.** " In an explosion befitting of a war instead of a Chunin Exatm, Samui was wreathed in a coat of ethereal beauty. Black lightning danced off of her skin. She charged at Sakura, who could only dodge and pray.

* * *

In the stands, Naruto chewed his lip. "I didn't know she could use black lightning. I thought only the Raikage could, actually."

Shikamaru looked at Naruto. "You seem to know an awful lot about things, Naruto. So, let me ask you this: why are there Sound and Sand shinobi moving around in the stands?"

Naruto gave Shikamaru an annoyed look. "Stop asking questions. You'll live longer." 

* * *

_Damn it_ , Sakura thought, frantically dodging the strikes from the focused and more experienced Kunoichi. _How can she have enough chakra to do this?!_ Sakura charged a kunai with Katon chakra and shunshined through the blasts, coming at Samui's throat. Suddenly, Samui's body was covered in black chakra, small black lightning sparks cackling in the air surrounding her. She disappeared….

...And Sakura was on the floor, out cold.

Samui came back into view with her fist outstretched, and the aura still surrounding her. "Kuro Rai no Yoroi. An A-Ranked Jutsu, only known by two people. I'm still a little new at it, but it gets the job done. Proctor, call the match." The aura dissipated.

"Winner of the second match: Samui of Kumo! Medics!" 

* * *

Naruto smiled even at Sakura's loss. She'd become far stronger than when they first became a team. Forcing Samui to use a trump card like that showed just what she was capable of. _But Sasuke hasn't shown up yet…_ Just as he thought that, Kakashi and Sasuke entered the arena. But Sasuke… looked so much _different._

His clothes had changed more than anything. He wore a basic ANBU fit in black along with his sword at his side. His arms had been wrapped in tape much like Rock Lee's. His Sharingan was active and at stage three. "We aren't late, are we?"

" **Uchiha Sasuke's match will begin immediately."** Hiruzen's voice carried over Naruto and elicited cheers from around the stadium. Gaara moved to the field, and Kakashi appeared next to Naruto.

"Yo."

Naruto grinned at his Sensei. "Kaka-sensei, it's been a while since we've had an actual conversation hasn't it? Let's conversate. What exactly can Sasuke do now?"

Kakashi hummed. "Likely something to surprise even your Rinnegan."

Naruto blinked.

* * *

As soon as the battle began, Gaara realized something. His sand couldn't reach Sasuke.

It certainly wasn't from a lack of trying, either. Coupling Sasuke's Sharingan with his lightning-charged sword made it impossible to hit him at all. And the entire time he moved far too _fluidly_ for him to be having trouble.

The real issue came when Sasuke did something unprecedented. "Thousand Birds Sharp Spear."

An arc of lightning pierced through Gaara's chest. Right over his heart.

 **A/N: I sincerely apologized for the rushed chapter. Again, I don't have a laptop anymore. I wrote this at school which is something I normally never even consider. Above that I wanted to get** ** _something_** **done for you guys. It's really a shame since the mobile app for ff . net is horrible and the mobile site doesn't even allow publishing actions. Regardless, I also want to say that I've been taking a lot of criticism for the story to heart. So this is a shoutout to AnonymousAbomynous- in future chapters I will take your words to heart. To all other reviewers, your questions should mostly be answered or at least have a basis for further questioning by next chapter. Thank you! ^^**


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